Citation

Feeley TH, Reynolds-Tylus T, Anker AE, Evans M. Prog. Transplant. 2014; 24(1): 97-105.

Affiliation

New York Alliance for Donation, Inc.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2014, North American Transplant Coordinators Organization, Publisher InnoVision Communications)

DOI

10.7182/pit2014390

PMID

24598572

Abstract

Context-Prior research examining rationales for enrolling as an organ donor is biased because of its reliance on college student samples and retrospective recall.Objective-To characterize New York state residents' registry enrollment decisions in close proximity to a registration opportunity.Design-Surveys were conducted with customers exiting Department of Motor Vehicle offices.Participants-A total of 1325 customers were surveyed upon exiting 1 of 18 Department of Motor Vehicle offices spanning 9 counties.Main Outcome Measure-Customers making donation-relevant transactions (ie, license renewal/registration) reported whether they had registered as a donor that day, and all other customers reported whether they had registered as a donor in the past. Customers reported reasons to justify their enrollment decision through short interview questions.Results-Among current donation-relevant transactions (n = 299), 27% reported enrolling in the registry. Of remaining customers, 39% reported enrolling in the state registry in the past. For those who elected not to enroll, many failed to communicate a reason for their decision, or reported a lack of opportunity to sign or decisional uncertainty. Among enrollees, reasons for registration included the altruistic benefits of donation, prior registration, personal experience with donation, and rational arguments for donation.Conclusion-The value of point-of-decision survey data are discussed in relation to strategic efforts to promote organ donor registration.

Language: en