Evaluation of the relationship between graduate students' organ donation attitudes and religious beliefs

Aim: In the research conducted among graduate students, the relationship between organ donation attitudes and religious beliefs was examined. Material and Method: The research is of relational descriptive type and its population consists of postgraduate students studying at İnönü University Institute of Health Sciences. Student selection was based on volunteerism and 324 students were reached out of a total of 500 students. Research data was collected online with the Google Form application between March 2022 and September 2023. Along with demographic information, Organ Donation Attitude Scale and Organ Donation Information form data were collected. Results: It was determined that 96.5% of the graduate students participating in the research thought organ donation was necessary, but only 16.9% donated organs. 92.5% of the participants stated that their religious beliefs are important in their lives, 62.2% stated that their religious beliefs are effective in making important decisions, and 65.8% stated that organ donation is appropriate according to Islamic beliefs. It was determined that there was a statistical difference between the program categories for the question "Does the Presidency of Religious Affairs have a fatwa regarding organ donation?" (p<0.05). It was determined that there was a statistically significant difference between the organ donation attitude categories for the questions such as "Do you think students' organ donation is appropriate according to the Islamic faith?", "Do you think it is appropriate for a Muslim's organs to be used for a non-Muslim when necessary?" and "Do you think it is possible for someone who is brain dead to come back to life?". Conclusion Result: As a result, most of the students reported that organ donation was religiously correct, but it was determined that the majority of the participants did not donate their organs. Participants reported that their religious beliefs influenced the decisions made in daily life. However, it was determined that the organ donation attitudes of the students did not change in terms of compliance with the religious authority fatwa and Islamic faith. Keywords: Organ Donation, Religious Belief, Graduate Student, Donation, Attitude