[Fairness judgements on the allocation of organ donations. Results of a factorial survey].

OBJECTIVE

Organ donation is widely discussed due to the lack of willingness among the public to be an organ donor and the resulting lack of organs destined for organ procurement. Criteria for the allocation of organs are analysed here from the view of laypersons.

METHODOLOGY

In a factorial survey, graduate students have been challenged to waitlist a fictive population of organ recipients.

RESULTS

The results of the multi-level analysis show that recipients with a high chance of survival and a high level of acuteness are favoured together with young recipients and people with children living in the same household. The attributes gender, marital status and children living outside the household of the organ recipients have no effect. In addition to factorial attributes, characteristics of the respondents have been analysed as well. Older respondents distribute more favourable places on the waiting list. Fictive recipients similar to the respondents (due to relative same age, gender and health status) were not preferred by the interviewees.

CONCLUSIONS

Even if official criteria for the allocation of organs account for medical or predominantly medical aspects, the results of the survey show that laypersons have further considerations in mind. In general, laypersons adjudicate organ procurement in a completely rational way. They maximise successful interventions and the survival time of the fictive patients.