Open Access“What if this is my chance to save my life?” A semistructured interview study on the motives and experiences of end‐stage renal disease patients who engaged in public solicitation of a living kidney donor
Author(s) -
Pronk Mathilde C.,
Slaats Dorthe,
Zuidema Willij C.,
Hilhorst Medard T.,
Dor Frank J. M. F.,
Betjes Michiel,
Weimar Willem,
Wetering Jacqueline,
Massey Emma K.
Publication year - 2018
Publication title -
transplant international
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.998
H-Index - 82
eISSN - 1432-2277
pISSN - 0934-0874
DOI - 10.1111/tri.13095
Subject(s) - donation , obligation , feeling , medicine , action (physics) , organ donation , social psychology , moral obligation , end stage renal disease , psychology , transplantation , disease , law , surgery , political science , physics , quantum mechanics
Summary The increase in patients using public solicitation ( PS ) to find a living kidney donor has generated a debate about the ethical complexities of PS . To investigate why patients engaged in PS and what they experienced during PS , we conducted semistructured interviews with 20 Dutch patients with end‐stage renal disease who had publicly solicited a living donor. Transcripts were thematically analyzed. We identified ten themes on patients’ considerations preceding PS : cautiousness in discussing living donation within social network; reluctance to accept a kidney from loved ones; rejection/withdrawal of related donor candidates; moral objections to paid donation; the ease of social media; encouraged by others; ends justifying the means; despair and urge to take action; public disclosure of vulnerability; fear of being (perceived to be) selfish. We identified nine themes on patients’ experiences: positive emotions and support generated by action; genuine and ulterior motives for donation; patients acting as educators and screeners; time‐ and energy‐consuming process; emotionally taxing process; positive interactions with donor candidates; feeling of dependency and obligation; limited cooperation from health professionals; demands a proactive attitude and media strategy. These results can inform and complement (existing) policies on PS and provide content for education of patients who are considering PS .