Family decision making about living related kidney donation.

Little information is available on how families make decisions about living related kidney donation. The purpose of this study, therefore, was to explore the family decision making process in identifying and selecting a living related kidney donor, to identify factors that assist or inhibit the decision making, and to explore issues and concerns raised by families about the experience. The qualitative method of grounded theory was used. Ten recipients, their living related donors, and their family members were interviewed individually and as a group prior to and after the transplant. Four decisions were required of most families. Three decision-making patterns--straightforward, moderately straightforward, and complex were identified as well as the factors that influenced the process.