‘One size does not fit all’ in organ donation and transplantation

Abstract

With increasing immigration to Europe, migrants and ethnic minorities (MEMs) are progressively represented on transplant waiting lists. However, they remain underrepresented among the pools of both deceased and living donors (LD). Further, studies report inferior knowledge and/or understanding of organ donation and transplantation among these populations, with the potential for detrimental impacts on accessibility, quality and outcomes of care. The ethnic and cultural diversity characterising European societies poses additional challenges to the complexity inherent to communication in transplant settings. This study addresses the ethical, theoretical and practical implications of targeting/tailoring interventions for MEM populations in the transplant continuum. It puts forward a call for action on the emergent issue of how institutional actors and healthcare professionals should interact more effectively with MEM publics, potential donors and/or their families and MEM transplant candidates/recipients/LDs.