Opinions and knowledge about organ donation and transplantation: a multicenter cross-sectional study among medical science students in Poland.

Purpose: To assess attitudes toward organ procurement and transplantation, knowledge of legal regulations, and sources of information among medical students and students of other healthcare disciplines in Poland. Materials and methods: A multicenter cross-sectional survey was conducted among 3,006 students from four Polish medical universities. The study included 883 medical students (MD program) and 2,122 students of other healthcare-related programs. An original questionnaire was used to assess attitudes, legal knowledge, and sources of information. A transplantation support index, reflecting the overall level of pro-donation attitudes, was developed. Data were analyzed using descriptive and non-parametric statistical methods. Results: The median Transplantation Support Index (TSI) was higher among medical students [24.00 (IQR: 21.00-25.00; mean ± SD: 23.41 ± 3.02)] compared to students of other healthcare disciplines [22.00 (IQR: 20.00-24.00; mean ± SD: 21.87 ± 3.45); p < 0.001]. Most respondents supported organ transplantation from deceased donors (97%) and agreed to donate their own organs posthumously (91%). Only 49% of all students correctly identified the legal model of presumed consent in Poland-66% among medical students and 41% among others. The most common sources of knowledge were academic classes (63%) and the Internet (62%). Conclusion: Students of medical universities in Poland generally support organ transplantation. However, significant gaps in legal knowledge exist, especially among students of other healthcare disciplines. These findings highlight the need to strengthen and standardize transplantation-related education in healthcare curricula to foster pro-donation attitudes and increase awareness of legal frameworks.