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Obtaining consent to cornea donation: influencing factors1,2
T. Krieglstein, 2A.S. Neubauer, 2U. Welge-Lüßen, 2A. Kampik, 1W. Eisenmenger, 1F. PriemerBackground: Purpose of the study was to determine the role of socioeconomic factors influencing the decision of the next relative being asked for consent to cornea donation.
Methods: In a prospective study 94 interviews with the relatives of potential cornea donators of the Eye Bank of the Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität, Munich were analyzed. The influence of socioeconomic factors on the frequency of obtained consents was investigated.
Results: In 94 interviews during a 3 month period 56 consents (60%) and 22 refusals (23%) were obtained. In 16 (17% of the) cases the family members could not be reached. Analysis showed a higher consent rate for donors with a university degree (82%) versus those without (71%). Consent was more often obtained from donors that were divorced (88%) than from those that were unmarried (62%). Examination of the postal codes of the residential area indicated more frequent refusals with donors of the rural (54% consent rate) than the urban Munich population (75% consent rate). The situation was the other way around with the residential area of the consenting relative. There is a higher willingness to donate in suicides (93%) in contrast to natural deaths (75%) and traffic accidents (71%). Children of age (83%) and husband and wife (78%) consented more frequently to cornea donation than the parents of the deceased (60%).
Conclusion: Socioeconomic factors such as education, marital status, residential area and situational factors such as the cause of death play an important role on the willingness to donate. This study can improve understanding of the donor familys decision making and such help the physician asking for consent more empathic which may increase the number of suitable donor corneas.
1
Institut für Rechtsmedizin der Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität Munich, Frauenlobstr. 7a, 80337 München, Germany