Informing the UK's South Asian communities on organ donation and transplantation

Abstract

There is a growing demand for human organs for transplantation, particularly of the kidney among the UK's South Asian population which, due to problems with histocompatibility can only be met with a significant increase in the number of Asian donors. Specific attempts have only recently been made to attract donors from South Asian communities using 'ethnically-targeted mass media'. A recent pilot study sought to evaluate the effectiveness of these initiatives in providing information with regards to organ donation for the South Asian population. The findings show that detailed information related to transplantation activity had been learned only through the experience of people undergoing transplants within the community and has been transmitted through various informal networks rather than through the resources provided by the Department of Health. This paper provides an overview of who the South Asians are and how these community networks were established.

Public Awareness and Acceptance of Tissue and Organ Donation

“…Although the need for organ transplants has increased in the last decade, the number of organ donors has remained quite low. The family's refusal to consent to organ donation has been noted as one of the curial factors in the shortage of organs (2,3). In countries with active organ transplant programmes and wide acceptance criteria for transplant recipients, the need for organ grafts exceeds organ supply, even from cadaver donors.…”

“…The study findings reveal that, at the time of request, families are emotionally traumatized and decisions on transplantation may simply be more than they can handle. Dread of mutilation of the body and fear of pre-consent may adversely affect outcomes (3,4,7,8). In literature, a variety of factors were found significantly related to unwillingness to donate such as: religious and spiritual issues, cultural values and attitudes to death, the concept of brain death, separation of physician teams of donor and recipient, not knowing how and/or where to obtain donor cards, fear of burial, fear of bodily mutilation, altruism, lack of understanding of donation and lack of confidence in the professional conduct of the staff (3,(8)(9)(10)(11)(12).…”

“…In literature, a variety of factors were found significantly related to unwillingness to donate such as: religious and spiritual issues, cultural values and attitudes to death, the concept of brain death, separation of physician teams of donor and recipient, not knowing how and/or where to obtain donor cards, fear of burial, fear of bodily mutilation, altruism, lack of understanding of donation and lack of confidence in the professional conduct of the staff (3,(8)(9)(10)(11)(12). Khan and Randhawa claim that detailed information related to transplantation has been learned only through the experience of people undergoing transplants within the community, and knowledge has been transmitted through various informal networks, rather than through resources provided by the Department of Health (3). Present efforts to promote organ donation programmes and to increase donation have not been as successful as hoped, and health professionals are looking beyond the conventional for alternatives and exploring the advantages of live-donor transplantation (2)(3)(4)(5)(6)(7)(8).…”

“…Khan and Randhawa claim that detailed information related to transplantation has been learned only through the experience of people undergoing transplants within the community, and knowledge has been transmitted through various informal networks, rather than through resources provided by the Department of Health (3). Present efforts to promote organ donation programmes and to increase donation have not been as successful as hoped, and health professionals are looking beyond the conventional for alternatives and exploring the advantages of live-donor transplantation (2)(3)(4)(5)(6)(7)(8). The researchers suggest that before making an organ donation request, healthcare providers must enquire about and address common misunderstandings regarding brain death.…”

“…Those who are involved in organ procurement need to be alerted to the factors that affect the decision to give consent. Nurses, psychologists, and physicians are in a position to increase consent rates for organ donation by effectively addressing the needs of the potential donor family (1)(2)(3)(4)(5)(6)(7)(8)(9)(10)(11)(12). This study was undertaken in a semi-urban city Eskisehir in Central Anatolia.…”