Related Experiment Videos
Donor card registration system in Japan: an obstacle to procuring kidneys for transplantation
T Hasegawa1, Y Maeda, K Yamakawa
1Teikyo University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan.
Insights
Low organ donor card prevalence in Japan can be increased by introducing a free delivery system. This system would address the lack of opportunity to obtain donor cards, boosting organ donation consent rates.
Area of Science:
- Medical Ethics
- Public Health Policy
- Organ Donation Research
Background:
- Organ donor cards are crucial for consent to organ donation after unexpected death.
- Japan has a low donor card prevalence (0.4%) despite high willingness to donate (approx. 50%), contrasting with the US (24.6%).
- The current donor card registration system may contribute to low prevalence in Japan.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the reasons for low donor card prevalence in Japan.
- To test the hypothesis that a free delivery system would increase donor card prevalence.
- To identify factors influencing willingness to carry donor cards among the Japanese population.
Main Methods:
- A questionnaire survey was conducted among 402 high school students and 3391 workers in the Tokyo metropolitan area between April 1992 and April 1993.
- Respondents were asked about their awareness of donor card registration and willingness to carry donor cards under different conditions.
- Data analysis focused on identifying barriers to donor card acquisition and the potential impact of a free delivery system.
Main Results:
- Only 15.5% of respondents knew how to register as a donor card holder.
- A significant majority (48.8%) expressed willingness to carry donor cards if delivery was free and registration was not required.
- The primary reason cited for not carrying a donor card was the lack of opportunity to obtain one.
Conclusions:
- Implementing a free delivery system for organ donor cards can dramatically increase prevalence in Japan.
- Providing sufficient opportunities for obtaining donor cards is essential for increasing organ donation consent.
- A free delivery system is recommended to align with the deceased's will for organ donation, rather than family decisions.
Abstract:
Donor cards are a simple and effective way to give a consent to organ donation in cases of unexpected death. In Japan the prevalence of donor cards is low (0.4%) compared to the United States (24.6%), although about 50% of Japanese people are reported to be willing to donate their organs after death, a figure equivalent to the United States. We hypothesized that the donor card registration system can explain the low prevalence, and an introduction of a free delivery system will increase the prevalence. From April 1992 to April 1993, 402 high school students and 3391 workers in the Tokyo metropolitan area were requested to answer questionnaires; all the questionnaires were returned. Few respondents (15.5%) knew the way in which to be registered as a donor card holder. If donor cards were delivered freely and registration to carry a donor card was not required, 48.8% replied that they would be willing to carry donor cards. The most commonly cited reason for not carrying a donor card was 'I had no opportunity to get a donor card'. This study indicates that the introduction of free delivery of donor cards will increase the prevalence dramatically if a sufficient number of opportunities are offered. We recommend that a free delivery system should be introduced in order to increase the prevalence and secure the will of the deceased rather than the will of the family.