A Qualitative Content Analysis of Comments on Press Articles on Deemed Consent for Organ Donation in Canada

Abstract

Background and objectivesIn 2019, two Canadian provinces became the first jurisdictions in North America to pass deemed consent legislation to increase deceased organ donation and transplantation rates. We sought to explore the perspectives of the deemed consent legislation for organ donation in Canada from the viewpoint of individuals commenting on press articles.Design, setting, participants, & measurementsIn this qualitative descriptive study, we extracted public comments regarding deemed consent from online articles published by four major Canadian news outlets between January 2019 and July 2020. A total of 4357 comments were extracted from 35 eligible news articles. Comments were independently analyzed by two research team members using a conventional content analysis approach.ResultsCommenters’ perceptions of the deemed consent legislation for organ donation in Canada predominantly fit within three organizational groups: perceived positive implications of the bills, perceived negative implications of the bills, and key considerations. Three themes emerged within each group that summarized perspectives of the proposed legislation. Themes regarding the perceived positive implications of the bills included majority rules, societal effect, and prioritizing donation. Themes regarding the perceived negative implications of the bills were a right to choose, the potential for abuse and errors, and a possible slippery slope. Improving government transparency and communication, clarifying questions and addressing concerns, and providing evidence for the bills were identified as key considerations.ConclusionsIf deemed consent legislation is meant to increase organ donation and transplantation, addressing public concerns will be important to ensure successful implementation.

High-Functioning Deceased Donor Kidney Transplant System Characteristics: The British Columbia Experience With an Opt-In System

“…By contrast, recent work reveals significant public concern with an opt-out system of donation in Canada. 35 The high consent rate in British Columbia, together with evidence that presumed consent will not affect organ donation rates unless deceased donor services are appropriately resourced to support best practices, may be useful to decision makers in other provinces considering a change to an opt-out system of donation. 25 , 36 …”

Understanding Public Perspectives on Opt-Out Deceased Donor Transplant Policy

“…In 2021, a presumed consent, or opt-out, policy went into effect in the Canadian province of Nova Scotia, and similar legislation is anticipated in Alberta. In this issue of CJASN , Fox and colleagues performed a qualitative content analysis of public comments in response to news articles about this new policy from January 2019 to July 2020, with a goal to understand comment writers’ perceptions of these policy changes (4). Specifically, the authors were interested in elucidating the perspective of comment writers on positive and negative implications of a presumed consent policy and key considerations in policy implementation.…”

Media Analysis of the Canadian Deemed Consent Policy

“…What a pleasure it is, as a policy professional and 42-year patient with kidney disease, to review a CJASN article outside the familiar lanes of scientific research on kidney diseases and treatments (1). Instead, the authors of “A Qualitative Content Analysis of Comments on Press Articles on Deemed Consent for Organ Donation in Canada,” published in this issue of CJASN , have provided the kidney community with a thoughtful approach for assessing public perceptions related to ambitious kidney proposals (1). In this instance, they used retrospective media analysis to assess a Canadian kidney policy predicated upon a mandate that restricts individual freedom to address shortages in kidney donation.…”