• Robin Urquhart, Nelofar Kureshi, Jade Dirk, Matthew Weiss, and Stephen Beed.
• Associate Professor in the Department of Community Health and Epidemiology at Dalhousie University in Halifax, NS.
• Can Fam Physician. 2024 Jan 1; 70 (1): e20e27e20-e27.

ObjectiveTo understand Nova Scotian family physicians' and emergency department (ED) physicians' knowledge of, attitudes about, and experience with organ donation and transplantation in the context of the Human Organ and Tissue Donation Act (HOTDA).DesignAn electronic, self-administered survey.SettingNova Scotia.ParticipantsAll family physicians and ED physicians practising in Nova Scotia.Main Outcome MeasuresDemographic characteristics, experience with organ donation and transplantation, knowledge about organ donation and HOTDA, attitudes toward organ donation and HOTDA, and opportunities for and barriers to the implementation of the HOTDA in clinical practice. Survey results were analyzed using descriptive statistics.ResultsOverall, 211 family physicians and 73 ED physicians responded to the survey. Most respondents had favourable attitudes around organ donation and most supported a deemed consent model. Nearly three-quarters of family physicians indicated they have a conversation around organ donation only if it is initiated by the patient. In the ED setting, the most common barriers to organ donation and deemed consent were lack of familiarity with the organ donation referral process, refusal of permission from families, and unknown wishes of the deceased.ConclusionFamily physicians and ED physicians had positive attitudes toward organ donation, including high support for a deemed consent model. However, specific knowledge gaps and training topics were identified that should be addressed within the context of this model.Copyright © 2024 the College of Family Physicians of Canada.

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