Emergency department organ-donation card pilot study.
OBJECTIVE
To determine public attitudes about an emergency department (ED)-based organ-donor enrollment program.


METHODS
A total of 211 non-acutely ill patients treated in the ED of a 300-bed urban university hospital between November 1, 2004, and January 2, 2005, were asked to complete a survey. Surveys were obtained over six 4-hour daytime intervals.


RESULTS
Of the 211 patients, 199 completed the survey and 12 refused. One hundred sixty-four patients (82%; 95% confidence interval [CI], 77%-88%) were interested in organ-donation information via the ED; 173 (87%; 95% CI, 82%-92%) approved of the ED providing organ-donation cards; and 82 (41%; 95% CI, 34%-48%) were current organ-donor cardholders. Of 117 patients who were not current organ-donor cardholders, 65 (56%; 95% CI, 46%-66%) stated that they would be willing to enroll in an ED-based organ-donor card program. Fifty-seven patients (49%, 95% CI, 39%-58%) were African American, and 35 of these (61%; 95% CI, 48%-74%) said they would obtain an organ-donor card via the ED. Overall, 137 of 199 patients (69%; 95% CI, 62%-75%) preferred ED organ donation information in written form, and the remainder preferred a personal interview or lecture.


CONCLUSIONS
An ED organ-donation enrollment program would be acceptable to patients and effective in capturing groups who currently do not have organ-donor cards.
Cheng
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D
Department of Emergency Medicine, University Hospital, New Jersey, USA. Ch163@medscape.com
Ku
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P
D001294:Attitude to Health; D004636:Emergency Service, Hospital / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D010865:Pilot Projects; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014019:Tissue Donors / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D009927:Tissue and Organ Procurement / Q000379:methods*; D000078329:Workforce