Donations of organs hit by superstition

Helen Puttick, Health Correspondent

April 4, 2011

FEARS that becoming an organ donor carries a “jinx” and that doctors may work less hard to save a donor’s life are deterring patients from signing up, Scottish research has revealed.

A Stirling University study found key differences between people who are happy for their organs to be used for transplant and those who are reluctant.

A so-called “ick factor” – disgust at the idea of having another person’s body parts installed – is much more common among those who refuse to donate.

They are also more likely to mistrust doctors and feel signing an organ donor card may seal their own fate, according to the findings published in the journal Health Psychology.

Psychology professor Ronan O’Carroll, lead author of the study, said while 90% of the UK population say they support organ donation, only 28% have signed the donor register.

With greater education about the concept of brain death, people’s fears may be allayed, and that may save more lives.

“The consequence of this is we have 10,000 people waiting for an organ transplant and three people dying on the waiting list every day,” he said. There are more than 800 people queuing for a transplant in Scotland.

About 600 people were invited to complete a questionnaire assessing their emotional responses to organ donation.

Professor O’Carroll said emotional factors played a much greater role in the decision-making process of those who had not joined up.

“One of them is the ‘ick factor’ – basically disgust at the idea of organ donation,” he said. “People who have that will often say ‘I know it does not make any sense, I know I will be dead, but I just do not like the idea of it.”

Scores against the ick factor were around 50% higher in the non-donor groups interviewed. Participants’ sense that agreeing to donate might tempt fate was also assessed. Professor O’Carroll said there was a superstitious element to the decision not to donate.

Volunteers were asked how strongly they agreed with statements such as “If I sign an organ donor card, doctors might take my organs before I’m actually dead.” Again, scores were higher in the non-donor groups.

Professor O’Carroll stressed it was important individuals made up their own mind but added: “Medical mistrust may be based on misinformation, so with greater education about the concept of brain death people’s fears might be allayed, and that could lead to lives being saved.”

Timothy Statham, chief executive of UK charity the National Kidney Federation, said: “I do understand the concerns that people have about donating, however I think they are probably to do with perceptions rather than the actual.”

Professor Anthony Warrens, vice president of the British Transplantation Society, said: “I can be categorical in saying that there is no danger of people not trying hard enough to save the life of someone who is a potential donor so they can snaffle organs,” he said.

Almost two million Scots have signed up as donors.

Copyright © 2011 Herald & Times Group.

This article posted April 19, 2011.