BACKGROUND: The purpose of the study was to determine factors that influence the decision of the next living relative of a deceased for consent on cornea donation. METHODS: The interviews with the relatives of 94 potential cornea donors of the Eye Bank of the Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität, Munich were analysed. The influence of sociological factors on the frequency of obtained consent was investigated. RESULTS: During a 3-month-period, 77 relatives of 94 possible donors were asked for consent to cornea donation and 56 consents (73%) and 21 refusals (27%) were obtained. In 17 (18%) of the cases the relatives could not be reached. Analysis showed a higher consent rate for donors with a university degree (82%) versus those without (71%). Consent was more often obtained for donors who were divorced (88%) than from those who were single (62%). Children of full age (83%) consented more frequently to cornea donation than husbands and wives (78%) or the parents of the deceased (60%). Examination of the postal codes of the residential area indicated more frequent refusals for donors from the rural (54% consent rate) than the urban Munich population (77% consent rate). The situation was the opposite for the residential area of the consenting relative where there was a higher willingness to donate in cases of suicide (93%) in contrast to other causes such as natural deaths (78%) and traffic accidents (71%). CONCLUSION: Socio-economic factors such as education, marital status, residential area and situational factors such as the cause of death, play an important role on the willingness to consent to donate. This study can improve the understanding of the donor family's decision making and as such help the physician asking for consent and improve information to the public which may increase the number of cornea donors in Germany.
BACKGROUND: The purpose of the study was to determine factors that influence the decision of the next living relative of a deceased for consent on cornea donation. METHODS: The interviews with the relatives of 94 potential cornea donors of the Eye Bank of the Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität, Munich were analysed. The influence of sociological factors on the frequency of obtained consent was investigated. RESULTS: During a 3-month-period, 77 relatives of 94 possible donors were asked for consent to cornea donation and 56 consents (73%) and 21 refusals (27%) were obtained. In 17 (18%) of the cases the relatives could not be reached. Analysis showed a higher consent rate for donors with a university degree (82%) versus those without (71%). Consent was more often obtained for donors who were divorced (88%) than from those who were single (62%). Children of full age (83%) consented more frequently to cornea donation than husbands and wives (78%) or the parents of the deceased (60%). Examination of the postal codes of the residential area indicated more frequent refusals for donors from the rural (54% consent rate) than the urban Munich population (77% consent rate). The situation was the opposite for the residential area of the consenting relative where there was a higher willingness to donate in cases of suicide (93%) in contrast to other causes such as natural deaths (78%) and traffic accidents (71%). CONCLUSION: Socio-economic factors such as education, marital status, residential area and situational factors such as the cause of death, play an important role on the willingness to consent to donate. This study can improve the understanding of the donor family's decision making and as such help the physician asking for consent and improve information to the public which may increase the number of cornea donors in Germany.