Families Reconsider Being Organ Donors
The organ donation process - which continues to perplex healthcare communicators - is leaving families unsure about their decisions to donate organs or tissues. More than 20% of families surveyed by the Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis questioned their decision on this emotionally-charged issue.
"At a time when there is a real scarcity of donated organs and tissues in this country, it's not to anyone's advantage to have people feeling they did not do the right thing," says Dr. Barry Hong, one of the researchers.
The study surveyed 225 family members one year after they had been approached about donating a relative's organs. Although 79% were satisfied with their decision, nearly 10% said they would not donate again and 11% said they would donate if they had the opportunity to change their minds.
The research highlights key factors that might impact favorable decisions for organ donation:
- Signing a donor card is not enough, personal discussions with family members must be promoted;
- Instilling confidence in the family by spending time comforting them and demonstrating support for the decision; and
- Strengthening efforts to inform families of where the organs are going and whether they helped to save someone's life. (Washington University School of Medicine, 314/362-5000)
African Americans Want More Risk-Based HIV Info
Although HIV awareness is high among African Americans, provider messages that address risk and prevention should be stronger, says a researcher at the Kaiser Family Foundation in Menlo Park, Calif.
Twice as many African Americans say they are "very concerned" about becoming infected with HIV compared with the rest of the population in the U.S., according to the Foundation's recent study. Their fears are not unfounded, since African-Americans represent only 12% of the U.S. population and 43% of all new AIDS cases in 1996, according to Centers for Disease Control.
Although the African-American community is well-informed about AIDS - 59% knew that medication can prevent perinatal transmission, their educational needs are not being met in the areas of risk and overall prevention, according to Dr. Sophia Chang, director of the Foundation's HIV Programs. The communications voids include:
- Physicians who do not discuss HIV testing with their patients; and
- Basic HIV prevention education. (Kaiser Family Foundation,650/854-9400)
Better Child-Rearing Communication Needed
Parents want more child-rearing advice from their pediatricians, according to a recent study by The Commonwealth Fund of New York published in the Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine.
Overall, parents are pleased with the pediatric healthcare system, but need more pediatrician guidance in areas such as discipline, toilet training, sleep issues, crying and helping children to learn. The study found that:
- 74% of parents said they use books, magazines, television and videos to answer their parenting questions;
- 35% attend healthcare-sponsored parenting classes; and
- 71% of parents who receive special counseling services for their children like record-keeping tools to monitor health and development, gave an "excellent" rating to their physicians.
The researchers suggest that because the incidence of childhood disease continues to decline, parents are seeking more non-medical advice from physicians. To strengthen patient relations, they suggest physicians offer home visits developmental assessments and telephone advice lines. (Commonwealth Fund, 212/535-0400)