F. C. Popp et al., Who is Willing to Take the Risk? Assessing the Readiness for Living Liver Donation in the General German Population.

F. C. Popp et al., Who is Willing to Take the Risk? Assessing the Readiness for Living Liver Donation in the General German Population, 32 J. MED. ETHICS 389 (2006).

Shortage of donor organs is one of the major problems for liver transplant programs. Living liver donation is a possible alternative, which could increase the amount of donor organs available in the short term. The objective was to assess the attitude toward living organ donation in the general German population. A representative quota of people was evaluated by a mailed questionnaire. This questionnaire had twenty-four questions assessing the willingness to be a living liver donor for different potential recipients. Factors for and against living liver donation were assessed.

Donating part of the liver was almost as accepted as donating a kidney. The readiness to donate was highest when participants were asked to donate for children. In an urgent life-threatening situation, the will to donate was especially high, whereas it was lower in the case of recipient substance...