• Gail Moloney, Dhaval Ghelani, Ramanathan Lakshmanan, Leah Upcroft, Marie Hutchinson, Maddison Norton, Michael Sutherland, Iain Walker, and Suzanne Rienks.
• Southern Cross University, Coffs Harbour, New South Wales, Australia.
• Intern Med J. 2024 Dec 1; 54 (12): 195219591952-1959.

Background And AimsTransplant success rates can increase when organs and tissues are matched within ethnic communities, but how well are the processes around organ donation understood by discrete ethnic communities in Australia? We investigated this in relation to one ethnic group, the Australian-Indian community in Sydney.MethodsA culturally appropriate survey and dissemination strategy was co-created with Indian community members through an Advisory Panel. Items were informed by a thematic analysis of cultural beliefs shared through the advisory panel discussions and measured awareness and practices associated with organ donation and transplantation and beliefs about organ donation and registration. Donation information was provided at the end.ResultsTwo hundred and thirty-eight participants completed the survey. Hinduism along with Tamil and Gujarati were the most frequently identified religious and cultural backgrounds. The processes around organ donation were not well known, and Australian Organ Donor Register registration rates were below the national average. Principal component analysis revealed positive, social, medical trust, concerns, and cardiac and brain death belief factors. Doctors played a key role in generating trust in the donation system, decisions about organ donation were embedded in family and community, and family discussion was related to increased registration. Registered participants reported higher scores on medical trust beliefs, which also predicted family discussion.ConclusionThe information needed to understand the process of organ donation and registration in Australia is not embedded in this community, highlighting the need for programmes to be tailored to each culturally diverse community rather than culturally diverse communites in general. Doctors and the advisory panels are pivotal in this process.© 2024 The Author(s). Internal Medicine Journal published by John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd on behalf of Royal Australasian College of Physicians.

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