RESUMO
Aim: This study aimed to assess if spirituality could be a predictor of organ donation, using a descriptive/knowledge survey aimed at healthcare professionals working in Italy. Methods: This multicentre, descriptive observational study was conducted in three Italian regions (Lombardy, Piedmont and Apulia). Two scales were used for the data collection: the Organ Donation Attitude Scale (ODAS) to explore the healthcare staff's attitudes towards organ donation and the Spiritual Health Life-Orientation Measure (SHALOM) to explore their perception of the concept of spirituality. Results: The sample included 688 healthcare professionals (460 females, 66.9%). The analysis of their attitudes, assessed as their predisposition to organ donation, evidenced the women's higher degree of agreement regarding the safety and effectiveness of the practice (40.7% versus 31.1%, p = 0.001). The sample showed a high positive attitude towards organ donation (M = 4.25, SD = 0.50), whereas the level of spirituality was slightly lower than the midpoint of the Likert scale (M = 2.76, SD = 1.31). Spirituality positively predicted the positive attitude towards organ donation among Lombard professionals with shorter (-1 SD) careers (b = 0.078, p = 0.044) and among both Piedmontese (b = 0.250, p < 0.001) and Apulian (b = 0.458, p < 0.001) professionals with longer (+1 SD) careers. Discussion: Regarding organ donation, the surveyed healthcare professionals showed higher scores in the positive attitude section and lower scores in the negative attitude section, regardless of the geographical context of reference.