Kontakt X:X | DOI: 10.32725/kont.2025.045

Understanding healthcare professionals' perspectives on factors influencing public decisions to donate organs after brain death: a qualitative studyNursing - Original article

Mirko Prosen1, *, Anet Rožnik2
1 University of Primorska, Faculty of Health Sciences, Izola, Slovenia
2 Izola General Hospital, Izola, Slovenia

Introduction: Organ transplantation is often the only effective and successful treatment for end-stage organ failure, but it still faces many challenges today, one of which is the shortage of donors after brain death. The aim of the study was to determine the attitudes and beliefs of healthcare professionals about people's willingness to donate organs after brain death.

Methods: A qualitative research method was used. Six focus groups were conducted in February and March 2024 with a purposive quota sample of 24 healthcare professionals. The data collected was analysed using thematic analysis.

Results: Six themes were identified: (1) healthcare professionals' attitudes towards organ donation after brain death, (2) healthcare professionals' knowledge and education about organ donation after brain death, (3) the population's beliefs and awareness about organ donation (perspective of healthcare professionals), (4) the decisions of individuals regarding organ donation after brain death, (5) the confrontation of relatives with the decision to donate organs (perspective of healthcare professionals) and (6) the systemic regulation of the field of organ donation.

Conclusion: The willingness of people to donate organs and the number of entries in the donor register could be increased by better informing the public and raising awareness about the benefits of donation and by removing obstacles that influence individual decisions. The education of healthcare professionals is also crucial, as they are the most important link in the transplantation process and serve as a reliable source of information for others.

Keywords: Attitudes; Donor registration; Organ donation; Relatives' role; Transplantation medicine
Conflicts of interest:

The authors have no conflict of interest to declare.

Received: September 20, 2025; Revised: September 20, 2025; Accepted: October 15, 2025; Prepublished online: October 16, 2025 

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