Bias against older organ donors may be leading to smaller organ supply for transplants
American transplant centers as well as organ procurement organizations, the groups responsible for recovering organs from deceased donors in the United States, were less likely to accept or select organs from donors who were 70 years old when they died compared to those who were 69, new research found.
This is an example of left digit bias, a common type of unconscious bias that involves placing value based on the first digit in a number and thus is often linked to ageism.
A previous study had revealed this type of bias is present when organizations decide whether or not to discard donor kidneys. Clare E. Jacobson, M.D., a general surgery resident at University of Michigan Health, was curious about whether the bias would still exist if the research encompassed all organ types.
Using data from the United Network for Organ Sharing, the nonprofit that manages the nation’s organ transplant system, Jacobson and her research team found that both OPOs and transplant centers were about 5% less likely to choose organs, regardless of their type, for those aged 70 versus 69. The results suggest that about 1 in 18 donors who are age 70 or older will have no organs selected for transplant, Jacobson said.
