HOW DOCTORS AND ACADEMICS APPROACH RELATIVES OF PATIENTS WITH BRAIN DEATH AND ORGAN DONATION

Abstract

This work presents an analysis of brain death and organ donation in Brazil, involving both physicians and final-year medical students. In this regard, the instruction received by medical students regarding brain death and how to approach families regarding organ donation was evaluated through a questionnaire developed by researchers, consisting of 10 questions, 9 of which were objective and 1 was subjective. As for the physicians, another questionnaire was developed consisting of 8 subjective questions aimed at understanding their experiences with brain death and organ donation, as well as how they differentiate between ethical and personal principles at this time. The study also addressed how families receive the news of their relative's death and how they are approached for organ donation, as well as their acceptance or refusal, considering that the organ donation rate in Brazil is still low.