Skip to main content
PMC home page
Journal of the National Medical Association logoLink to Journal of the National Medical Association
. 2007 Feb;99(2):131–137.

Assessing racial and ethnic differences in medical student knowledge, attitudes and behaviors regarding organ donation.

Teresa M Edwards 1, Christian Essman 1, J Daryl Thornton 1
PMCID: PMC2569425  PMID: 17366949

Abstract

OBJECTIVES: Previous studies have demonstrated that informed healthcare providers could increase patient willingness to donate. We assessed medical students' knowledge and attitudes to determine their preparedness to encourage organ donation. METHODS: 500 first- and second-year students attending one of three Ohio medical schools completed the 41-item questionnaire (93% cooperation rate). The questions evaluated students' donation knowledge, training, exposure and perceived barriers as well as their willingness to donate. RESULTS: On univariate analysis, Asians (OR: 0.5, 95% CI: 0.2-0.9) and blacks (OR: 0.1, 95% CI: 0.1-0.2) were less willing than whites to donate. On multivariate analysis, race was no longer significantly associated with willingness to donate,Three factors were associated with a decreased donation willingness: wanting burial with organs intact (OR: 0.1, 95%CI: 0.1-0.2), having personal conflicts with donation (OR: 0.2, 95%Cl: 0.1-0.6), and concern that carrying a donor card will lead to insufficient medical care (OR: 0.2, 95% Cl: 0.1-0.4). Of note, knowledge was not associated with willingness to donate. CONCLUSION: In this medical student cohort, minorities were less willing to donate. Three factors were associated with a decreased willingness to donate regardless of student race. Addressing these barriers may increase student donation willingness, and physicians should encourage donation discussions with their patients.

Full text

PDF
135

Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

  1. Boulware L. Ebony, Ratner Lloyd E., Cooper Lisa A., Sosa Julie Ann, LaVeist Thomas A., Powe Neil R. Understanding disparities in donor behavior: race and gender differences in willingness to donate blood and cadaveric organs. Med Care. 2002 Feb;40(2):85–95. doi: 10.1097/00005650-200202000-00003. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Callender C. O., Bayton J. A., Yeager C., Clark J. E. Attitudes among blacks toward donating kidneys for transplantation: a pilot project. J Natl Med Assoc. 1982 Aug;74(8):807–809. [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. Cooper Lisa A., Beach Mary Catherine, Johnson Rachel L., Inui Thomas S. Delving below the surface. Understanding how race and ethnicity influence relationships in health care. J Gen Intern Med. 2006 Jan;21 (Suppl 1):S21–S27. doi: 10.1111/j.1525-1497.2006.00305.x. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. Cooper Lisa A., Roter Debra L., Johnson Rachel L., Ford Daniel E., Steinwachs Donald M., Powe Neil R. Patient-centered communication, ratings of care, and concordance of patient and physician race. Ann Intern Med. 2003 Dec 2;139(11):907–915. doi: 10.7326/0003-4819-139-11-200312020-00009. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. Creecy R. F., Wright R., Berg W. E. Discriminators of willingness to consider cadaveric kidney donation among black Americans. Soc Work Health Care. 1992;18(1):93–105. doi: 10.1300/j010v18n01_06. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. Essman Christian C., Lebovitz Daniel J. Donation education for medical students: enhancing the link between physicians and procurement professionals. Prog Transplant. 2005 Jun;15(2):124–128. doi: 10.1177/152692480501500204. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. Ettner Barbara J., Youngstein Kenneth P., Ames James E. Professional attitudes toward organ donation and transplantation: results of a 1986-1987 survey of transplant professionals. Dial Transplant. 1988 Feb;17(2):72–76. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. Evanisko M. J., Beasley C. L., Brigham L. E., Capossela C., Cosgrove G. R., Light J., Mellor S., Poretsky A., McNamara P. Readiness of critical care physicians and nurses to handle requests for organ donation. Am J Crit Care. 1998 Jan;7(1):4–12. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. Falvo D. R., Woehlke P., Tippy P. Family practice residents' attitudes toward organ donation. J Fam Pract. 1987 Aug;25(2):163–166. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. Kaplan Judith B., Bennett Trude. Use of race and ethnicity in biomedical publication. JAMA. 2003 May 28;289(20):2709–2716. doi: 10.1001/jama.289.20.2709. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. Komaromy M., Grumbach K., Drake M., Vranizan K., Lurie N., Keane D., Bindman A. B. The role of black and Hispanic physicians in providing health care for underserved populations. N Engl J Med. 1996 May 16;334(20):1305–1310. doi: 10.1056/NEJM199605163342006. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  12. Moy E., Bartman B. A. Physician race and care of minority and medically indigent patients. JAMA. 1995 May 17;273(19):1515–1520. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  13. Prochaska J. O., DiClemente C. C. Stages and processes of self-change of smoking: toward an integrative model of change. J Consult Clin Psychol. 1983 Jun;51(3):390–395. doi: 10.1037//0022-006x.51.3.390. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  14. Shilling Lilless M., Norman Michele L., Chavin Kenneth D., Hildebrand Laura G., Lunsford Shayna L., Martin Margaret S., Milton Jennifer E., Smalls Gilbert R., Baliga Prabhakar K. Healthcare professionals' perceptions of the barriers to living donor kidney transplantation among African Americans. J Natl Med Assoc. 2006 Jun;98(6):834–840. [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  15. Siminoff L. A., Arnold R. M., Caplan A. L. Health care professional attitudes toward donation: effect on practice and procurement. J Trauma. 1995 Sep;39(3):553–559. doi: 10.1097/00005373-199509000-00025. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  16. Siminoff L. A., Gordon N., Hewlett J., Arnold R. M. Factors influencing families' consent for donation of solid organs for transplantation. JAMA. 2001 Jul 4;286(1):71–77. doi: 10.1001/jama.286.1.71. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  17. Siminoff Laura A., Burant Christopher, Youngner Stuart J. Death and organ procurement: public beliefs and attitudes. Soc Sci Med. 2004 Dec;59(11):2325–2334. doi: 10.1016/j.socscimed.2004.03.029. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  18. Thornton J. Daryl, Curtis J. Randall, Allen Margaret D. Completion of advanced care directives is associated with willingness to donate. J Natl Med Assoc. 2006 Jun;98(6):897–904. [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  19. Thornton J. Daryl, Wong Kristine A., Cardenas Vicky, Curtis J. Randall, Spigner Clarence, Allen Margaret D. Ethnic and gender differences in willingness among high school students to donate organs. J Adolesc Health. 2006 Aug;39(2):266–274. doi: 10.1016/j.jadohealth.2005.12.028. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  20. van Wieringen Joke C. M., Harmsen Johannes A. M., Bruijnzeels Marc A. Intercultural communication in general practice. Eur J Public Health. 2002 Mar;12(1):63–68. doi: 10.1093/eurpub/12.1.63. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from Journal of the National Medical Association are provided here courtesy of National Medical Association

RESOURCES