Fears and Concerns Expressed by Families in the Donation Discussion

Abstract

Previous research has identified specific fears and concerns among the general public about organ and tissue donation. However, little to none of that research has dealt with fears and concerns at the time of the donation discussion. In this study, 180 experienced coordinators ranked the fears and concerns most commonly heard during the donation discussion. They further classified the fears and concerns according to the ease with which they can be addressed. Subsequently, the fears and concerns were classified in 4 groups: often heard and easy to deal with, often heard and hard to deal with, seldom heard and easy to deal with, seldom heard and hard to deal with. The results can be used to stimulate further research on family fears and concerns, to train and retrain coordinators to address those concerns in the donation discussion, and to improve existing strategies for increasing organ and tissue donation.