title: Effect of organ donor race on health team procurement efforts.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To determine whether referral of potential organ donors is affected by race of the patient.
  
  
  METHODS
  Retrospective chart audit.
  
  
  METHODS
  Regional trauma center serving a 50% African-American population.
  
  
  METHODS
  Records of patients meeting organ procurement organization criteria were reviewed for evidence that (1) they had been identified as a potential organ donor, (2) the family had been approached about organ donation, and (3) the family had agreed to or refused organ donation.
  
  
  RESULTS
  There were 620 deaths, 152 (24%) met all donor criteria, 114 (75%) were identified as potential donors, 90 (59%) were approached for donation, and 35 (23%) were organ donors. Of the white patients, 84% (71/85) vs 64% of the African-Americans (43/67) were identified as donors (P < .01); 69% (59) of the whites vs 46% (31) of the African-Americans were approached for donation (P < .01); and 28% (24) of the whites vs 16% (11) of the African-Americans were organ donors (P < .086).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Before and after controlling for cause of death, the risk that African-American donors would not be identified was more than 2.4 times greater than for whites (P < .01). No significant racial differences were noted in requests for suicide and homicide victims; for accident victims, significantly fewer requests were made of African-Americans. Efforts must be made to determine the dynamics of interaction between staff and donor families and to enhance health-care team members' abilities to identify donors and request donations from both races in stress-provoking situations.
authors.affiliation: College of Graduate Health Sciences, University of Tennessee, Memphis.
authors.forename: M S
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Hartwig
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Hall
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Hathaway
authors.forename: A O
authors.initials: AO
authors.lastname: Gaber
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001741:Black or African American / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D002423:Cause of Death; D002648:Child; D015986:Confounding Factors, Epidemiologic; D005190:Family / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007258:Informed Consent; D008297:Male; D008485:Medical Audit; D008875:Middle Aged; D010348:Patient Care Team; D011368:Professional-Family Relations; D012017:Referral and Consultation / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D014019:Tissue Donors / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D009927:Tissue and Organ Procurement / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D014193:Trauma Centers; D044465:White People / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*