Consenting to cornea donation: influencing factors.

Full Abstract

BACKGROUND:
The purpose of the study was to determine factors influencing the decision of the next relative being asked for consent to cornea donation in a prospective, non-comparative case series.

METHODS:
Interviews with the relatives of 264 potential cornea donors to the eye bank of the Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität, Munich, were documented following a standardized protocol. The influence of sociological factors on the frequency of obtained consents was investigated by uni- and multivariate analysis.

RESULTS:
During a 9-month period, 214 relatives of 264 possible donors were interviewed for consent to cornea donation. In total, 144 consents (67%) and 70 refusals (33%) were obtained; 50 relatives could not be reached. Analysis showed a higher consent rate for donors with a university degree (72%) versus those without (68%). Consent was more often obtained from relatives of donors that were divorced (71%) than from unmarried ones (63%). Husband and wife (71%) consented more frequently to cornea donation than children of age (62%) or parents (58%). Examination of residential area postal codes indicated more frequent refusals from donors of rural (56% consent rate) than urban Munich populations (67% consent rate). The situation was the opposite concerning the residential area of the consenting relative. Postal codes of both the donor and the relative were statistically significant factors in a multiple logistic regression model. There was relatively high willingness to donate in suicides (70%), but not significantly different from other causes like natural deaths (70%) and traffic accidents (66%).

CONCLUSIONS:
Some socioeconomic factors such as - in particular - the permanent address of the potential donors and their relatives reflecting a different background and status play an important role in the willingness to donate. A better understanding of this decision making can help the physician to ask more empathically for consent and inform the public more specifically about the donation process.

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Author information

Author/s: Krieglstein, Tina R (TR); Welge-Lüssen, Ulrich C (UC); Priglinger, Siegfried (S); Kampik, Anselm (A); Priemer, Fritz (F); Neubauer, Aljoscha S (AS);

Affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität, Mathildenstr. 8, 80336, Munich, Germany.

Journal and publication information

Publication Type: Journal Article

Journal: Graefe's archive for clinical and experimental ophthalmology = Albrecht von Graefes Archiv für klinische und experimentelle Ophthalmologie (Graefes Arch Clin Exp Ophthalmol), published in Germany. (Language: eng)

Reference: 2002-Oct; vol 240 (issue 10) : pp 816-21

Dates: Created 2002/10/24; Completed 2003/02/04; Revised 2007/11/15;

PMID: 12397429, status: MEDLINE (last retrieval date: 11/6/2008)

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MeSH headings (categories)

This article was linked to the MESH Headings shown below.

Family
Female
Germany
Humans
Interviews as Topic
Male
Marital Status
Middle Aged
Prospective Studies
Regression Analysis
Tissue Donors

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