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A focused educational program after religious services to improve organ donation in H ispanic A mericans
Author(s) -
Salim Ali,
Bery Cherisse,
Ley Eric J.,
Schulman Danielle,
Navarro Sonia,
Zheng Ling,
Chan Linda S.
Publication year - 2012
Publication title -
clinical transplantation
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.918
H-Index - 76
eISSN - 1399-0012
pISSN - 0902-0063
DOI - 10.1111/ctr.12036
Subject(s) - organ donation , medicine , donation , intervention (counseling) , worship , family medicine , observational study , perception , educational program , transplantation , surgery , nursing , psychology , law , neuroscience , political science
Religion is an important determinant in H ispanic A mericans ( HA ) becoming organ donors as HA often believe religion forbids donation. We investigated the effect of an educational program targeting HA organ donation in places of worship. A prospective observational study was conducted at four C atholic churches with a high percentage of HA . A 45‐min “culturally sensitive” educational program, conducted in S panish, was implemented. Organ donation awareness, knowledge, perception, and beliefs, as well as the intent to become an organ donor, were measured before and after the intervention. Differences between before and after the intervention were analyzed. A total of 182 surveys were conducted before and 159 surveys were conducted after the educational program. A significant increase was observed in organ donation knowledge (54% vs. 70%, p < 0.0001), perception (43% vs. 58%, p < 0.0001), and beliefs (50% vs. 60%, p = 0.0001). However, no significant difference was found in the willingness to discuss donation with family, intent‐to‐donate, or registering to donate after the intervention. This study demonstrates that a focused educational program in places of worship can significantly improve HA knowledge, perceptions, and beliefs regarding organ donation. Further work is needed to understand why intent‐to‐donate does not increase despite the increase in organ donation awareness.