Open bioethical problems of modern transplantology (in the social as-sessments of future specialists)

Background: At all times, moral principles and ethical standards have been the main instrument for regulating both the behavior of an individual and social consciousness as a whole. However, in modern society, the spread of cruelty and crime is becoming the norm. In such a situation, the moral qualities of the doctor become important, who must make decisions in conditions bordering between life and death.

Aim: to study social assessments of open bioethical problems of modern transplantology by future specialists.

Materials and methods: The cities of Arkhangelsk and Cherepovets served as the basis for the study. The collection of material was carried out in February-March 2023. The sample is complete (n = 436). The main group consisted of students of the Northern State Medical University (Arkhangelsk) (n = 103). The comparison group consisted of: 1) students of Cherepovets State University (n = 211): humanitarian (n = 102), technical (n = 109) areas and 2) secondary vocational education (n = 122): medical (n = 86) and pedagogical (n = 36) college.

Results: Half (43.6 %) of students, regardless of the direction of preparation for organ transplantation, have a positive attitude, perceiving this technology as “a step forward in medicine” (59.6; 95 % CI 55.0–64.1). Every third (37.8 %) is neutral, believing that organ transplantation is permissible only as a last resort (26.8 %; 95 % CI 22.9–31.2). Only 3.7 % have a negative attitude, considering organ transplantation to be unnatural to human nature (1.8 %; 95 % CI), leading to human trafficking (3.2 %; 95 % CI 1.9–5.3). Students of a medical college (90,8 %) are ten times more likely than students of a pedagogical college (9.2 %) to evaluate transplantation more loyally. They are less likely to choose neutral (40.5 % vs. 59.5 %, respectively) and negative (40 % vs. 60 %, respectively) assessments. At the same time, medical college students are twice as likely (66.7 % versus 33.3 %, respectively) to have no opinion on this issue at all.

Conclusion: Possible factors in the formation of bioethical ideas are shown based on an analysis of the personal characteristics of future specialists: demographic, social, psychological, spiritual.