The impact of clinical education on knowledge and attitudes towards brain death among Polish medical students – a cross-sectional study

BACKGROUND: Understanding brain death is essential for progress in organ transplantation; however, it remains a challenging ethical matter. In 2019, Poland revised its legislation on brain death to align with international standards. This study aimed to evaluate the knowledge and worldview concerning brain death among Polish medical students, categorised according to their stage of education. METHODS: An online questionnaire was administered to 169 medical students from four Polish medical universities. The participants were divided into preclinical (n = 94) and clinical (n = 75) groups. The questionnaire consisted of two parts, with the first part comprising 13 questions focusing on knowledge about brain death and the process of its determination. The second part contained six questions related to the participants' worldview regarding brain death, particularly concerning organ transplantation. RESULTS: The average score obtained by the respondents was 7.53 (± 2.35; min. 1, max. 13) in knowledge checking part of the developed questionnaire (maximal score:13). Students in the clinical stage of their education achieved significantly higher scores compared to preclinical students (mean 8.84; ± 1.89 vs mean 6.49; ± 2.15; p < 0.001). Significant correlations were found between the results of the knowledge part of the questionnaire and responses to worldview questions. CONCLUSIONS: The stage of education influenced the knowledge of brain death among medical students, although the overall test scores were unsatisfactory. Higher test scores were associated with worldview responses indicating compliance with the current legislation in Poland and evidence-based medicine. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12909-023-04637-y.