Its about time: Raising awareness of organ donation within the Pakistani/Indian Muslim community

4^th Global Surgery and Transplantation Congress

October 03-04, 2016 Atlanta, USA

Angela Ditchfield

East Lancashire Hospitals NHS, UK

Posters & Accepted Abstracts: J Transplant Technol Res

Abstract :

Organ transplants save and improve lives of people with end stage organ failure. The demand for organ transplants outweigh the supply in the UK and this shortage is more acute within the Black and Minority Ethnic (BAME) groups. There are nearly a quarter of people from BAME groups waiting for a kidney transplant although fewer than 2% of those who have joined the organ donor register to pledge their organs for transplantation after their death are from BAME groups. There is a significant shortage of donors from the BAME population. The UK can and must do more to save and improve lives through organ donation and transplantation and aim to change the current situation. The most successful transplant will come when best matched. Blood group and tissue typing are test which are carried out to find the best possible match and organ matching is likely to be closer when the ethnicity of the donor and the recipient are same. The project aimed to raise awareness of organ donation within the Pakistani Muslim community in Blackburn Lancashire. 30 questionnaires were distributed amongst the community. The questionnaire enquired about the participants understanding of organ donation and how the participants accessed media platforms to gain information. Three focus groups were held within the community of Blackburn. The participants ages ranged from 16-65 years. The focus groups were transcribed and analysed using a thematic approach.