Saudi Population Awareness and Attitude Regarding Stem Cell Donation

Worldwide stem cells (SC) donors’ number is still insufficient. To identify the attitudes of Saudi participants regarding their registration to be future donors, a case-control study was conducted at SC donor registration campaigns, King Faisal Hospital, Riyadh. Although (41.7%) of participants were aware of SC, (93%) of them had bad academic knowledge score. More than half of participants (67.3%) were registered as a donor in Saudi Stem Cell Donation Center (SSCDC). Of these participants, (15.5%) knew the Saudi SC donation center. A significant difference was found between registered and non-registered participants regarding age, education level, and knowledge score (P-value≤0.05). The main encouraging attitude was relieving the patient’s pain (65.3%). In conclusion, the majority of Riyadh’s population accepted the idea of SC donation; however, there was a lack of academic knowledge. So that awareness strategies are needed to enhance knowledge, clarify the role of SSCDC, and improve attitudes through correcting wrong ideas.

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