Internet-based intervention to promote organ donor registry participation and family notification1,2

Abstract

Increases in donation attitudes among visitors to an organ donation web site resulted in positive behaviors, such as enrollment in a donor registry and family notification. Future efforts should focus on using Internet-based interventions to improve attitudes toward donation and to facilitate pro-donation behaviors.

Ethnic and Gender Differences in Willingness among High School Students to Donate Organs

“…Between 1991 and 1993, higher living-kidney donation rates were reported for white girls compared to white boys while no difference was noted between black teenage girls and boys [10]. An internet-based intervention promoting organ donor registration suggested a positive association between increased knowledge and willingness to donate among teenage girls, but a negative association between reduced knowledge and willingness to donate among teenage boys and minorities [11]. This study sought to further explore the relationship between ethnicity, gender, and willingness to donate among high school teenagers in order to identify populations that might be more open to organ donation, and to optimize educational efforts directed toward more diverse segments of the population.…”

A Web-Based Application for Initial Screening of Living Kidney Donors: Development, Implementation and Evaluation

“…One reported explanation is that minorities fail to even initiate or complete the donor process because they have preconceived fears or attitudes toward donation (32)(33)(34)(35)(36)(37). The web-based tool could be used to combine educational information or support tools with the survey to help allay any fears or misconceptions that prevent donation (13,38).…”

“…They are accustomed to fast-paced, visually appealing communication media from sources such as the Internet, which offers unprecedented access to information on almost any subject (9,10). And with the increased awareness that social networking has raised regarding organ donation, living donor programs now have an opportunity to embrace the opportunity to use the Internet or social networking to potentially increase living donation (11)(12)(13)(14). Therefore, computerized interactive health communication applications on the Internet may be an ideal way to educate patients and could provide an easy, automated and cost-effective means to interface with transplant centers (13,15).…”

“…And with the increased awareness that social networking has raised regarding organ donation, living donor programs now have an opportunity to embrace the opportunity to use the Internet or social networking to potentially increase living donation (11)(12)(13)(14). Therefore, computerized interactive health communication applications on the Internet may be an ideal way to educate patients and could provide an easy, automated and cost-effective means to interface with transplant centers (13,15). In a system of limited health care resources, it becomes necessary to develop innovative strategies to improve cost-effectiveness of administrative and clinical practices (16).…”

“Non‐heart‐beating,” or “cardiac death,” organ donation: Why we should care

“…29 In the face of the uncertainty in determining death and in response to a media and marketing campaign by organ procurement organizations (OPOs) to promote public enrollment in deceased organ donation, the transplant community renamed NHBOD "cardiac death" organ donation. 30,31 The use of the term cardiac death is scientifically inaccurate and perhaps misleading. This term is used to denote the cessation of circulation and cardiac pump activity.…”