• MartinoRodrigo Bronze deRBhttp://orcid.org/0000-0001-5343-5057Hospital das Clinicas da Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade de São Paulo, Divisão de Transplante de Órgãos Abdominais e Fígado, Departamento de Gastroenterologia - São Paulo (SP), Brazil.Fac, Diogo Visconti Guidotte, Daniel Reis Waisberg, Alexandre Guerra Dos Santos, Alex Jones Flores Cassenote, ArantesRubens MacedoRMhttp://orcid.org/0000-0001-5505-6480Hospital das Clinicas da Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade de São Paulo, Divisão de Transplante de Órgãos Abdominais e Fígado, Departamento de Gastroenterologia - São Paulo (SP), Brazil.Faculda, Luciana Bertocco Haddad, Flavio Henrique Galvão, and Luiz Augusto Carneiro-D'Albuquerque.
• Hospital das Clinicas da Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade de São Paulo, Divisão de Transplante de Órgãos Abdominais e Fígado, Departamento de Gastroenterologia - São Paulo (SP), Brazil.
• Rev Assoc Med Bras (1992). 2021 Apr 1; 67 (4): 602-606.

ObjectiveA survey among medical students in a Brazilian public university was performed to investigate the acceptance of organ donation in Brazil, particularly donation after circulatory death (DCD).MethodsA questionnaire including 26 objectives and Likert scale questions was validated and sent to all medical students of our institution. The answers were analyzed considering the whole set of individuals as well as by dividing the medical students into two groups: less graduated students and more graduated students.ResultsFrom 1050 students, 103 spontaneous answers (9.8%) were retrieved after 3 weeks. A total of 89.3% agreed totally with deceased donor organ donation and 8.7% agreed partially. However, only 50.5% of the students agreed totally and 31.1% agreed partially to living donation. Students revealed that 82.6% know the concept of brain death. On the other hand, 71.8% of them declared not knowing the concept of planned withdrawal of life-sustaining therapy, mainly cardiorespiratory support. A total of 85.4% of students agreed totally with donation after brain death and 11.7% agreed partially. However, when questioned about donation in awaiting circulatory death after a planned withdrawal of life-sustaining therapy, only 18.4% agreed totally and 32% agreed partially. Both groups of less and more graduated students showed similar results.ConclusionsOur study found a clear lack of information and consequently in acceptance of DCD. Education in the field of end-of-life management may improve not only the acceptance of DCD donation but also the whole understanding of planned withdrawal of life-sustaining therapy.

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