Americans register importance of organ donation

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Half of adults in the United States say they have registered as an organ donor but only a quarter of those have told their family, according to a new survey.

Humphrey Taylor, chairman of the Harris Interactive Poll, said the survey of 2,136 adults highlights what people consider when deciding whether to donate their organs but he is not totally convinced by the poll's figures.

"We know that when we do surveys like this, more people claim to have done the right thing than do the right thing. I think if half of all U.S adults really had registered, we would be in much better shape than we are, so I am skeptical on those numbers," he said in an interview.

More than 95,000 people in the U.S. need a kidney transplant, according to the American Society of Transplantation. Nearly 4,000 new patients are added to the waiting list each month.

Every day 17 people die while waiting for a transplant of a vital organ, according to the National Kidney Foundation.

"We face in the U.S., a tremendous gap between the availability of organs and the demand and need for organs, so anything that can be done to close that gap and give potential recipients more access to the appropriate organs, the better," Taylor said.

When questioned about financial incentives such as cash payment or tax credits for organ donation, many people who took part in the poll for The Wall Street Journal's Online Health Industry Edition believe it could push poorer people to resort to organ donation as a means of making money.

Public opinion was divided about whether or not financial incentives would improve patients' access to needed organ donations regardless of their financial status.

"I hope the survey at least helps to get more people to think about the issue, I hope it's a catalyst for stimulating more debate, more thought and conceivably more action," Taylor added.