Factors Influencing Organ Donation Decisions by African Americans

Kurz, Richard S.; Scharff, Darcell P.; Terry, Tanchica L; Alexander, Shanica; Waterman, Amy D.

doi:10.1177/1077558707304644

Cited by 40 publications

(37 citation statements)

References 34 publications

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“…(3) At the same time, African Americans are significantly over represented on the transplant waitlist. For example, African Americans make up 26.5% of the Alabama population,(4) yet comprise 67.6% (2244/3320) of the renal transplant waiting list at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

African American Organ Donor Registration: A Mixed Methods Design Using the Theory of Planned Behavior

et al. 2014

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Context A large racial disparity exists in organ donation. Objective The purpose of this study was to identify factors associated with becoming a registered organ donor in among African Americans in Alabama. Methods The study utilized a concurrent mixed methods design guided by the Theory of Planned Behavior to analyze African American’s decisions to become a registered organ donor using both qualitative (focus groups) and quantitative (survey) methods. Results The sample consisted of 22 registered organ donors (ROD) and 65 non-registered participants (NRP) from six focus groups completed in urban (n=3) and rural (n=3) areas. Participants emphasized the importance of the autonomy to make one’s own organ donation decision and have this decision honored posthumously. One novel barrier to becoming a ROD was the perception that organs from African Americans were often unusable due to high prevalence of chronic medical conditions such as diabetes and hypertension. Another novel theme discussed as an advantage to becoming a ROD was the subsequent motivation to take responsibility for one’s health. Family and friends were the most common groups of persons identified as approving and disapproving of the decision to become a ROD. The most common facilitator to becoming a ROD was information, while fear and the lack of information were the most common barriers. In contrast, religious beliefs, mistrust and social justice themes were infrequently referenced as barriers to becoming a ROD. Discussion Findings from this study may be useful for prioritizing organ donation community-based educational interventions in campaigns to increase donor registration.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

African American Organ Donor Registration: A Mixed Methods Design Using the Theory of Planned Behavior

et al. 2014

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“…It has been widely reported that minorities are underrepresented in the donor pool (18,(28)(29)(30)(31)(32). However, based on our initial analysis, it does not appear that African Americans who are screened via the web-based application are being excluded more often than white candidates because of body mass index, hypertension or diabetes.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 68%

“…Although minorities are not being excluded at a different rate after they contact the transplant center, it is likely that a substantial proportion of minorities are appropriate candidates but fail to initiate contact (8,18,33). One reported explanation is that minorities fail to even initiate or complete the donor process because they have preconceived fears or attitudes toward donation (32)(33)(34)(35)(36)(37). The web-based tool could be used to combine educational information or support tools with the survey to help allay any fears or misconceptions that prevent donation (13,38).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A Web-Based Application for Initial Screening of Living Kidney Donors: Development, Implementation and Evaluation

Feurer

Zavala²,

Shaffer³

et al. 2013

American Journal of Transplantation

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Most centers utilize phone or written surveys to screen candidates who self-refer to be living kidney donors. To increase efficiency and reduce resource utilization, we developed a web-based application to screen kidney donor candidates. The aim of this study was to evaluate the use of this web-based application. Method and time of referral were tabulated and descriptive statistics summarized demographic characteristics. Time series analyses evaluated use over time. Between January 1, 2011 and March 31, 2012, 1200 candidates self-referred to be living kidney donors at our center. Eight hundred one candidates (67%) completed the web-based survey and 399 (33%) completed a phone survey. Thirty-nine percent of donors accessed the application on nights and weekends. Postimplementation of the web-based application, there was a statistically significant increase (p < 0.001) in the number of self-referrals via the web-based application as opposed to telephone contact. Also, there was a significant increase (p = 0.025) in the total number of self-referrals post-implementation from 61 to 116 per month. An interactive web-based application is an effective strategy for the initial screening of donor candidates. The web-based application increased the ability to interface with donors, process them efficiently and ultimately increased donor self-referral at our center.

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“…Moreover, there is compelling evidence that religious beliefs and misperceptions serve as prominent barriers to organ and tissue donation registration among many African Americans (6,26). However, it is not generally understood that most major religions support organ donation (27).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…This underrepresentation of African Americans in the donor pool speaks to the necessity of greater commitment to organ and tissue donation among African Americans (5). However, numerous barriers exist, and negative attitudes toward donation play a prominent role in the lack of donor registration (6,7). In this issue of CJASN, Locke et al identify and prioritize strategies for increasing organ donation willingness and ultimately donor rates among African Americans (8).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%