Hospital attitude survey on organ donation in the Emilia-Romagna region, Italy

1. Involvement in donation process during the past year: 1.24 /3, 2. Attitudes to organ donation (OD): 2.51 /3, 3. Skills / Self-confidence in donation practices: 1.36 /3, 4. Satisfaction with local transplant coordinator (TC) services: 2.31 /3. The attitude towards organ donation was positive, 1386 respondents support organ donation. A high percentage (93.6 % of respondents) is of the opinion that transplantation helps save other people's lives. Most uncertainty arises on the question whether donation helps families with grief. It is remarkable that only 53 % of those prepared to donate organs have informed the family of their wish. Many respondents do not feel comfortable performing key tasks close to donation. Major difficulties were observed in explaining to a family the concept of brain death (0.98 /3). Knowledge on the concept of brain-death was one of the most requested subjects for improvement. Emilia-Romagna is the region with one of the highest donation rates in Italy (29.9 pmp in 2000). Nevertheless, more profound knowledge of the local situation could help further improve donation.