Junior doctors�?? knowledge on cornea donation and the new UK opt-out system: a questionnaire of 143 junior doctors

This online survey aimed to explore views and knowledge of junior doctors on cornea donation and the new UK opt out system.  The survey was disseminated via Facebook, which targeted junior doctors in 9 hospitals in the UK. 143 junior doctors completed the survey in total.  35.7% of junior doctors were aware that a deceased body must be chilled within 6 hours. 81.1% of junior doctors were willing to certify deaths quicker on the ward, to preserve the integrity of corneas. Under the new UK opt out organ donation system, 23.8% of junior doctors thought organs could be taken from deceased patients even if family members objected, with 37.1% undecided. Only 3.5% of junior doctors felt comfortable talking to families about cornea donation.Junior doctors are frontline workers whose potential to aid corneal donation is limited by lack of knowledge of the subject and the system. Improvements in junior doctors training could make them a key part of increasing cornea donation rates.

Author(s): Bhavesh Gopal

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