Caregivers and Healthcare Workers' Willingness to Donate Kidney in Three Tertiary Institutions in Southern Nigeria

Abstract Background Kidney transplantation (KT) is now the preferred renal replacement therapy in suitable patients with end-stage renal disease but organ availability is a major limiting factor. Aims To evaluate the willingness of caregivers (CGs) and healthcare workers (HWs) to donate a kidney and possible motivating factors in our setting. Methods This cross-sectional study was done at Mother and Child Hospital, Kidney Care Centre Ondo and Babcock University Teaching Hospital, all in Southern Nigeria. Participants' willingness to donate a kidney was assessed using Likert and Visual Analogue Scales (VAS). The data were analyzed using SPSS version 20.0. Student t test was used to compare weighted mean scores. Multivariate analysis done; P < .05 was taken as significant. Results A total of 563 CGs and HWs took part in the study. Sixty percent of them were aware of kidney donation (KD) but only 43.7% had a favorable attitude towards it, and these were predominantly HWs (63.4% vs 33.1%, P < .001). A quarter of the participants were adequately willing to donate a kidney; HWs were significantly more willing than CGs (45.4% vs 15.8%, P < .001). On VAS, the mean willingness score of HWs was higher than that of CGs (t = 7.13, P < .001). Factors strongly influencing the willingness of CGs to donate include their educational level ( P = .028, OR = 4.86, 95% CI: 1.19–19.91) social class ( P = .012, OR = 6.17 95% CI: 1.5–24.8) and having a relative with kidney disease ( P = .019; OR = 3.07 95% CI: 1.25–12.00). Willingness correlated with awareness of KD among CGs (r = 0.534, P < .001). Conclusion There is a low level of willingness alongside negative attitudes toward kidney donation among our participants.