Increasing Organ Donation in Hispanic Americans

JAMA SURGERY
Increasing Organ Donation in Hispanic Americans
The Role of Media and Other Community Outreach Efforts
Ali Salim, MD1,2; Eric J. Ley, MD1; Cherisse Berry, MD1; Danielle Schulman, MPH1; Sonia Navarro, BA1; Ling Zheng, MD, PhD1; Linda S. Chan, PhD1

Importance The growing demand for organs continues to outpace supply. This gap is most pronounced in minority populations, who constitute more than 40% of the organ waiting list. Hispanic Americans are particularly less likely to donate compared with other minorities for reasons that remain poorly understood and difficult to change.

Objective To determine whether outreach interventions that target Hispanic Americans improve organ donation outcomes.

Design, Setting, and Participants Prospective before-after study of 4 southern California neighborhoods with a high percentage of Hispanic American residents. We conducted cross-sectional telephone surveys before and 2 years after outreach interventions. Respondents 18 years or older were drawn randomly from lists of Hispanic surnames. Awareness, perceptions, and beliefs regarding organ donation and intent to donate were measured and compared before and after interventions.

Intervention Television and radio commercials about organ donation and educational programs at 5 high schools and 4 Catholic churches.

Main Outcomes and Measures Number of survey participants who specify intent to donate.
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