title: Attitudes toward postmortem cornea donation in Germany: a multicenter survey.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To analyse the willingness for postmortem cornea donation in Germany.
  
  
  METHODS
  Employees in two cities (UKM, UKS), and university hospitals (STM, STE), members of the German Ophthalmological Society (DOG), and employees of an automobile company (BO) participated in a questionnaire about postmortem cornea donation attitudes. The questionnaire consisted of demographic items, motives concerning postmortem cornea donation, general attitudes toward donation, and questions concerning the perceived needs for information about donation. The statistical analyses included logistic regression with the target parameter of 'willingness to donate cornea postmortem'.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Of the participants, 67.7 % (UKM, UKS), 70.9 % (STM, STE), 70.8 % (BO), and 79.4 % (DOG) declared their intention to donate their corneas postmortem. Younger age (p < 0.001), poorer general health (p < 0.05), faith in an eternal life (p < 0.05), disagreement with brain death diagnostics (p < 0.001), fear of receiving worse medical treatment (p < 0.001), and fear of the commercialization of organs (p < 0.001) were found to be risk factors for a negative attitude toward postmortem cornea. The majority of participants (57.4 %) indicated that additional information about donation would be appreciated, and the internet (69.9 %) was considered the most appropriate means for conveying this information.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Emotional items were revealed to be the most relevant factors influencing the willingness to donate cornea postmortem, which may be counteracted by means of public education. The relatively low willingness among the medical staff contrasts with previous observations in a professional ophthalmologic society.
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, University Medical Center, Münster, Germany, constantin.uhlig@ukmuenster.de.
authors.forename: C E
authors.initials: CE
authors.lastname: Uhlig
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Koch
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Promesberger
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Hirschfeld
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Schmidt
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Seitz
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Reinhard
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Böhringer
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001294:Attitude to Health; D001344:Autopsy; D003315:Cornea; D005260:Female; D005858:Germany; D006306:Health Surveys; D006801:Humans; D019520:Living Donors / Q000523:psychology*; D008297:Male; D008505:Medical Staff, Hospital; D008875:Middle Aged; D011639:Public Opinion; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014019:Tissue Donors / Q000523:psychology*; D009927:Tissue and Organ Procurement / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*