Holy month of Ramadan and increase in organ donation willingness.
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Organ shortage is the most significant factor in restricting the activities of transplantation systems. We herein report the positive impact of Muslims' holy month of Ramadan on willingness to donate organs in Iran. Data were derived from the database of Donation Willingness Registries, affiliated to the organ procurement unit of Masih Daneshvari Hospital during March 2007 till March 2008. The number of applications for organ donation was compared between Ramadan and its previous month, and the socio-economic characteristics of the applicants were compared between those who applied in Ramadan and those who did so in the previous month. In addition, the mean number of daily applications was compared between Ramadan and the other months of the same year. A total of 11528 applications for organ donation cards were registered for the Ramadan of 2007 as opposed to 4538 applications in the previous month, showing an increasing rate of 154%. The mean number of daily applications was significantly higher in Ramadan than that of the other months of the same year (P < 0.001). There was also a significant difference in terms of the socio-economic characteristics between the applicants in Ramadan and those in the previous month. The increase in organ donation willingness in Ramadan may be the result of the propagation of altruism by the mass media and religious organizations. Ramadan seems to provide a great opportunity to promote organ donation across the Muslim world. (+info)
Physician attitudes toward industry: a view across the specialties.
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Medical student exposure to and attitudes about pharmaceutical companies.
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PURPOSE: Medical students are at-risk to the influence of pharmaceutical company (Pharma) marketing. As interactions with the industry come under increasing scrutiny and regulation, previous studies on student-Pharma relations no longer may be accurate. This study assessed students' attitudes toward and interactions with Pharmas at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health (UWSMPH). METHOD: A modified questionnaire based on a previously administered national survey was completed by students in April and May 2009. The survey was analyzed to disclose the frequency of student-Pharma interactions, where interactions took place, and differences between preclinical and clinical students. RESULTS: The overall response rate was 53.6% (348/649). Most student-Pharma interactions took place at locations remote from the main campus, with free lunches (70.2%), snacks (66.9%), and small, non-educational items (55.8%) representing the most common gifts. Many clinical students had discussed medical personnel-Pharma interactions with a physician or friend. Of those surveyed, 78% felt they had received limited instruction from the school on how to interact with Pharma representatives. Preclinical students expressed greater uncertainty about using Pharmas as educational resources and were more reluctant to accept Pharma gifts than clinical students. DISCUSSION: Student attitudes toward interactions with Pharmas reveal the need for further education and guidance-particularly on the risks of using Pharmas as educational resources. Pharma exposures remote from the main campus account for a high proportion of all interactions, which further highlights the need to educate students on conflicts of interest during their preclinical training. (+info)
Japanese practicing physicians' relationships with pharmaceutical representatives: a national survey.
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Ethical disputes in living donor kidney transplantation: what should we do to save lives?
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Living donor kidney transplantation has strong opposition and proponents. Opponents argue that this would exploit poor and female while proponents discuss the high mortality rate of ESRD patients and the low risk of a living donation. In this debate, we reviewed disputes in ethical aspects of living donor kidney transplantation to reach to a good overview of the current concepts on the issue. (+info)
Mectizan((R)) procurement and delivery for onchocerciasis mass drug administration programmes.
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