title: Factors influencing donor and recipient decision making in adult-to-adult living donor liver transplantation: a survey of a non-transplant population.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  This study aimed to (i) investigate the factors that influence donor and recipient decision making in adult-to-adult living donor liver transplantation (AALDLT); (ii) quantify the level of risk that would be acceptable to potential donors; and (iii) determine from whom an individual would be willing to receive a donation.
  
  
  METHODS
  A self-administered questionnaire using hypothetical scenarios centred on AALDLT was created and administered to participants recruited from the waiting room of an orthopaedic outpatient clinic at a teaching hospital in Sydney (n = 105). The questionnaire asked participants to consider scenarios in which they either (i) were a potential donor for a family member or close friend or (ii) themselves required a liver transplant.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Ninety-five (90%) participants expressed an in-principal willingness to consider living organ donation. The factors most important in deciding to be living liver donors were the probability of a good outcome for the recipient, the likelihood of the potential recipient's survival until a deceased donor liver became available and the risk of donor death. Donor death was also rated as the least acceptable donor outcome. Participants expressed a willingness to receive a donation from all proposed donor groups equally.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The acceptability of hypothetical living organ donation was very high in the population group studied. Participants were also willing to accept significantly higher risks of complications from organ donation than they would actually be exposed to. Clinicians should feel encouraged to discuss the risks and benefits of living donation frankly with patients and their families.
authors.affiliation: St George Hospital, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
authors.forename: Joshua D
authors.initials: JD
authors.lastname: Lansom
authors.affiliation: St George Hospital, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
authors.forename: Simon
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Rowe
authors.affiliation: Surgical Outcomes Research Centre (SOuRCe), Royal Prince Alfred Hospital, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.|Australian National Liver Transplantation Unit, Royal Prince Alfred Hospital, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
authors.forename: Charbel
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Sandroussi
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, Division of Hospital Medicine, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, California, USA.
authors.forename: James D
authors.initials: JD
authors.lastname: Harrison
authors.affiliation: Surgical Outcomes Research Centre (SOuRCe), Royal Prince Alfred Hospital, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Solomon
authors.affiliation: Australian National Liver Transplantation Unit, Royal Prince Alfred Hospital, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
authors.forename: Geoffrey
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: McCaughan
authors.affiliation: Australian National Liver Transplantation Unit, Royal Prince Alfred Hospital, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Crawford
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001315:Australia; D003657:Decision Making; D005190:Family / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006306:Health Surveys; D006801:Humans; D016031:Liver Transplantation / Q000379:methods* / Q000523:psychology*; D019520:Living Donors / Q000523:psychology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D057566:Self Report; D009927:Tissue and Organ Procurement / Q000379:methods*; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: decision making; hypothetical scenarios; living donor; transplantation