Lay and Professional Attitudes Toward Uncontrolled Donation
after Circulatory Determination of Death: A Pilot Study

This project investigated public perception and understanding of key ethical and policy questions associated with Rapid Organ Recovery (ROR), which is also known as Uncontrolled Donation after Cardiac Death (uDCD). This was the first exploratory study in the United States on the attitudes and knowledge of the public regarding ROR. 70 African-American, Caucasian and Latino community members in St. Louis, MO participated in focus groups and completed surveys before and after being educated about ROR. The study examined the public’s general support of new initiatives to increase organ donation rates and their knowledge about donation after unexpected cardiac arrest.

DuBois, J.M. & Volpe, R.L. (2008) Introduction: Organ donation and death from unexpected circulatory arrest: Engaging the recommendations of the Institute of Medicine. The Journal of Law, Medicine & Ethics. 36(4): 731-734.

DuBois, J.M. (2009). Increasing rates of organ donation: Exploring the institute of medicine’s boldest recommendation. Journal of Clinical Ethics. 20(1): 13-22.

DuBois, J.M., Waterman, A., Iltis, A., & Anderson, J. (2009). Is rapid organ recovery a good idea? An exploratory study of the public’s knowledge and attitudes. American Journal of Transplantation. 9: 2392-2399.