Complexity of Decision-Making!: Case Studies of Cadaveric Organ Donations in Ahmedabad, India

BACKGROUND: The disequilibrium in the demand-supply nexus of organ donation prevails an urgent need for understanding the process and cascade of the donation. There is a lack of evidence in organ donation literature within India that focuses on factors influencing familial consent, the decision-making process, and psychosocial factors that can predict successful organ donation. Such evidence can assist in designing interventions and policy dialogue focusing on the discussion on enhancing donation decisions with relatives. Thus, the present study is an effort to document the decision-making complexity systematically among successful cadaveric organ donation cases. METHODS: A qualitative exploratory, including the network assessment was implemented between October 2021 and February 2022 in one of the western states of India, Gujarat. A semi-structured interview guide that was comprised of thematic, open-ended questions focused on understanding the network for the decision-making process was prepared, and trained interviewers conducted the interview at the suitable place of the donor’s relative. RESULTS: The 10 interviews among the closest relatives of the deceased were conducted and the decision-making process indicated the involvement of multiple actors. The social network analysis reveals a minimum node of 2 to 7, with the highest ties of 22. The maximal degree was 3.6, and the density of 1 of these networks. Out of 10, in most cases, the ties were more than 2, with a maximum of 22 ties, which shows that more people communicated to each other before the final decision-making. CONCLUSION: The analysis indicates that the decision-making for deceased organ donation is a complex process as in most cases, multiple family members were involved and interaction happened before the final decision-making. The study explains the decision-making during the cadaveric organ donation process by exploring families’ experiences. Further research is recommended to generate evidence on the factors and the family dynamics, including the complexity of successful organ donation.