1. Identification of strategies to facilitate organ donation among African Americans using the nominal group technique
- Author
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Michelle Y. Martin, Haiyan Qu, Jayme E. Locke, Richard M. Shewchuk, Dorry L. Segev, Elinor C. Mannon, Robert S. Gaston, and Roslyn B. Mannon
- Subjects
Adult ,Male ,medicine.medical_specialty ,Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice ,Attitude to Death ,Tissue and Organ Procurement ,Epidemiology ,media_common.quotation_subject ,Health Behavior ,Health literacy ,Critical Care and Intensive Care Medicine ,Altruism ,Risk Assessment ,Organ transplantation ,Young Adult ,Patient Education as Topic ,Risk Factors ,Surveys and Questionnaires ,Nominal group technique ,Living Donors ,Medicine ,Humans ,Organ donation ,Young adult ,Kidney transplantation ,media_common ,Transplantation ,Cultural Characteristics ,business.industry ,Religion and Medicine ,Editorials ,Original Articles ,Gift Giving ,Middle Aged ,medicine.disease ,Kidney Transplantation ,Group Processes ,Health Literacy ,Black or African American ,Nephrology ,Family medicine ,Donation ,Models, Organizational ,Alabama ,Female ,business ,Comprehension - Abstract
Background and objectives African Americans are disproportionately affected by ESRD, but few receive a living donor kidney transplant. Surveys assessing attitudes toward donation have shown that African Americans are less likely to express a willingness to donate their own organs. Studies aimed at understanding factors that may facilitate the willingness of African Americans to become organ donors are needed. Design, setting, participants, & measurements A novel formative research method was used (the nominal group technique) to identify and prioritize strategies for facilitating increases in organ donation among church-attending African Americans. Four nominal group technique panel interviews were convened (three community and one clergy). Each community panel represented a distinct local church; the clergy panel represented five distinct faith-based denominations. Before nominal group technique interviews, participants completed a questionnaire that assessed willingness to become a donor; 28 African-American adults (≥19 years old) participated in the study. Results In total, 66.7% of participants identified knowledge- or education-related strategies as most important strategies in facilitating willingness to become an organ donor, a view that was even more pronounced among clergy. Three of four nominal group technique panels rated a knowledge-based strategy as the most important and included strategies, such as information on donor involvement and donation-related risks; 29.6% of participants indicated that they disagreed with deceased donation, and 37% of participants disagreed with living donation. Community participants’ reservations about becoming an organ donor were similar for living (38.1%) and deceased (33.4%) donation; in contrast, clergy participants were more likely to express reservations about living donation (33.3% versus 16.7%). Conclusions These data indicate a greater opposition to living donation compared with donation after one’s death among African Americans and suggest that improving knowledge about organ donation, particularly with regard to donor involvement and donation-related risks, may facilitate increases in organ donation. Existing educational campaigns may fall short of meeting information needs of African Americans.
- Published
- 2015