Knowledge, attitude and barriers to kidney donation in Limpopo province, South Africa

Abstract

Background: The mortality rates of clients on the transplant waiting list for kidney donations, raised concerns. Members of their families could have saved their lives by donating one of their kidneys. A need was therefore identified to explore and describe the study participants’ knowledge with regard to kidney donation. Aim: The purpose of this article was to explore the knowledge of clients at a health care facility, as regard to kidney donation. Method: A quantitative, explorative, cross-sectional design was used. Simple random sampling was used. The data analysis was done using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) computer software version 25. The respondents were all clients visiting outpatient department at an urban health care facility in Limpopo province, South Africa. Data were collected using a structured pre-tested questionnaire. Of the 317 questionnaires distributed face-to-face, 300 were deemed valid and considered for the study. Results: The study revealed inadequate knowledge and understanding of renal donation among clients at an urban health care facility in Limpopo province. Barriers that prevented the respondents from volunteering to donate a kidney were diseases such as diabetes and hypertension, their cultural beliefs and an HIV-positive status. The study found that the respondents believed kidney donation might change their bodies posttransplant, and were thus unwilling to donate. Conclusion: The respondents’ knowledge of kidney donation was inadequate. Their religion was not against kidney donation however, they preferred to die with their intact body parts. The most barrier against kidney donation was cultural beliefs. The results will be presented to the Limpopo Department of Health in South Africa, with a view to promoting effective measures aimed at educating people regarding the importance of kidney donation.