Why is corneal donation so rare in children's hospices? A survey of multidisciplinary team members attitudes, knowledge, practice, and experience

Title

Why is corneal donation so rare in children's hospices? A survey of multidisciplinary team members attitudes, knowledge, practice, and experience

Creator

Giugni C; Cecchi C; Santucci C; Giometto S; Lucenteforte E; Ricci Z

Identifier

Publisher

Pediatr Transplant

Date

2022

Subject

Humans; Attitude of Health Personnel; Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; Child; Patient Care Team; Surveys and Questionnaires; Hospices; attitude; children's hospice; corneal donation; Cornea

Description

BACKGROUND: Corneal donation is a rare event among pediatric patients dying in children's hospices in Italy. Previous research suggests that lack of knowledge and negative attitude of Health Care Professionals (HCPs) are the most relevant factors for low donation rates in hospice, rather than patient ineligibility or public refusal. We conducted a national survey to explore children's hospice staff's knowledge and attitude toward corneal donation, to survey HCPs confidence in discussing the subject with patients and families, to investigate whether staff members receive specific training about corneal donation and its potential impact on the willingness to raise the topic with patients and families. METHODS: An anonymous web-based survey with multiple-choice responses was delivered to the team members of seven Italian children's hospices to test their knowledge and attitude about corneal donation. RESULTS: Of the seven children's hospices approached, four agreed to participate with a response rate of 48.5%. Among respondents, 70% declared that they had not received specific training about corneal donation. Results of statistical analysis showed that there were no significant differences in responses between trained and non-trained staff and among the different professionals (nurses, doctors, psychologists, AND social workers) regarding confidence in discussing the subject with patients and families. CONCLUSIONS: In our sample of HCPs working in Italian children's hospices, there was no difference in self-reported trust between professionals who reported receiving specific cornea donation training and those who did not. It is remarkable that training on corneal donation was endorsed by a minority of the sample.

Rights

Article information provided for research and reference use only. PedPalASCNET does not hold any rights over the resource listed here. All rights are retained by the journal listed under publisher and/or the creator(s).

Citation List Month

August 2022 List

Collection

Citation

Giugni C; Cecchi C; Santucci C; Giometto S; Lucenteforte E; Ricci Z, “Why is corneal donation so rare in children's hospices? A survey of multidisciplinary team members attitudes, knowledge, practice, and experience,” Pediatric Palliative Care Library, accessed December 11, 2024, https://pedpalascnetlibrary.omeka.net/items/show/18173.