Factors that Influence Organ Donor Registration Among Asian American Physicians in Queens, New York

Organ donation rates in the United States are lowest among Asians. Physicians are highly respected in Asian communities and may be influential in promoting donor registration, but little is known about their organ donor registration attitudes. We assessed associations between knowledge, attitudes, personal/professional experience, cultural/religious beliefs surrounding organ donation and donor registration status using multivariable logistic regression. We surveyed 121 Asian physicians in Queens, New York; 22% were registered donors. Registered donors were more likely to discuss donation wishes with their family (OR 9.47, 95% CI 2.60–34.51), know that donor human leukocyte antigen does not need to match organ recipients (OR 6.47, 95% CI 1.66–25.28), and have experience advising patients about organ donation (OR 5.35, 95% CI 1.50–19.02). Culturally tailored educational materials providing updated information to promote family discussion about organ donation could potentially increase Asian physicians’ level of comfort and expertise in discussing organ donor registration with patients.