학술논문

An Analysis of Free‐Text Refusals as an Indicator of Readiness to Accept Organ Offers in Liver Transplantation
Document Type
article
Source
Hepatology Communications, Vol 6, Iss 5, Pp 1227-1235 (2022)
Subject
Diseases of the digestive system. Gastroenterology
RC799-869
Language
English
ISSN
2471-254X
Abstract
Racial/ethnic minorities experience higher rates of wait‐list mortality and longer waiting times on the liver transplant wait list. We hypothesized that racial/ethnic minorities may encounter greater logistical barriers to maintaining “readiness” on the wait list, as reflected in offer nonacceptance. We identified all candidates who received an organ offer between 2009 and 2018 and investigated candidates who did not accept an organ offer using a free‐text refusal reason associated with refusal code 801. We isolated patients who did not accept an organ offer due to “candidate‐related logistical reasons” and evaluated their characteristics. We isolated 94,006 “no 801” patients and 677 “with 801 logistical” patients. Common reasons for offer decline among the 677 were 60% “unable to travel/distance,” 22% “cannot be contacted,” 13% “not ready/unspecified,” and 5% “financial/insurance.” Compared to “no 801,” “with 801 logistical” patients were more likely to be Hispanic (19% vs. 15%, P