Living donors' perception of their quality of health after donation

To alleviate the long wait on the cadaveric transplant list, recipients are pursuing the option of living donation. Potential donors may have significant concerns about the decision to donate, including the quality of health after donation. This study identifies living donors' perception regarding their quality of health after donating a kidney, and identifies the perception of the adequacy of the medical follow-up after donation. In this retrospective study, the 36-Item Short Form Health Survey was mailed to all kidney donors at the transplant center from January 1995 to December 1998 (n = 118). The study population scored significantly better than the US sample population in all 8 categories of the questionnaire. When comparing scores using the relationship of the donor to the recipient, mean scores of donors who were "distant relatives" were found to be lower in 7 of the 8 categories. Most donors who had follow-up after donation felt it to be excellent to good; yet 50% stated they had no healthcare follow-up after donation. Themes were identified regarding the type of follow-up donors felt they needed after donation. Donors perceived their quality of health after donation as better than the general US population. Donor follow-up needs to be emphasized and followed more systematically.