Organ donation rates in the United States continue to fall far short of the needs of patients with end stage renal and liver disease. While New York represents about 10% of the national waitlist, it ranks 50th of 50 states for organ donor registration rates currently. The Asian community is the fastest growing minority population in the country and is the group with the largest disparity in the demand and supply of organs of any racial/ethnic group. Queens County, NY, which is one of the most densely populated and most diverse areas in the country is over 25% Asian but has one of the lowest donor registration rates in the country (13% vs national average of 52% currently). Understanding the cultural, logistical and other barriers to donor registration among Asian Americans is essential to improve organ donor registration in this group. Increasing knowledge and awareness about organ donation and transplantation and improving organ donor registration rates are strongly associated with subsequent organ donation. Our grant proposes to: 1) develop an understanding of the barriers to registration and donation among Asians in Flushing, Queens; 2) utilize the resources of the New York Presbyterian-Columbia Asian Health Program (NYP-CAHP) and; 3) capitalize on their existing relationship with the Asian community and community physicians in Flushing to accomplish our goals that include increasing knowledge of organ donation and registration, influencing intent to register as a donor, and increasing actual donor registration rates. We will use a mixed methods approach to develop an understanding of the barriers to registration as an organ donor among Asian physicians and patients. The information gained from this effort will be used to develop print and multimedia educational curricula for physicians and patients that is tailored to the cognitive, cultural, religious, linguistic, and pragmatic barriers identified. The materials will then be introduced to the Chinese population followed by the Korean. Individual education and patient educational materials will be provided to the physicians at Flushing practices to increase the ability of physicians to respond to patient-initiated conversation about organ donation thereby ensuring a sustainable long-term impact of our enduring educational material. Patient education will be conducted at NYP-CAHP physician partner sites and will include the opportunity to complete an organ donor registration form immediately following a one-on-one educational session delivered by a bicultural/multilingual research team member. Widespread dissemination of our education materials to the 10 other regions in the country that have large Asian populations and low donor registration rates will positively impact donor registration nationally.
Asian Americans represent the fastest growing minority group with the lowest rates of organ donation in the United States. Understanding the barriers to organ donation in this community and developing tailored educational materials to overcome barriers is a key step to increasing donor registration among Asians. Leveraging the resources of the New York Presbyterian- Columbia Asian Health Program, we will develop and deliver education to Asian physicians and patients in Flushing, Queens, one of the largest concentrations of Asian Americans in the U.S. Widespread dissemination of these materials designed for both physicians and individuals will result in a long term sustainable effort to improve organ donation among Asian Americans across the country.
