Utilizing a Hospital Based Setting to Increase Organ Donor Registrations

Background: Shortages of organs for transplantation is a concern for many countries. In Australia’s “opt-in” system, people register their donation decision on the Australian Organ Donor Register (AODR) in their own time, yet less than 30% of the population have done so. Consent registrations are honored by the next-of-kin in 90% of cases, so increasing registrations will increase donated organs for transplantation. This study investigated the efficacy of offering an immediate registration opportunity in 2 hospitals, and the role that beliefs about organ donation play in registration behavior.

Methods: An immediate registration opportunity was offered at a public and private hospital in NSW, Australia. Participants (N = 168) categorized as medical/healthcare (e.g. doctor, nurse) and nonhealthcare (e.g. teacher, chef) completed a measure of beliefs about organ donation, were encouraged to discuss their fears and concerns about organ donation, and given an immediate opportunity to register on the AODR.

Results: 81.5% of medical/ healthcare participants who were eligible registered, and 71.5% of all eligible participants registered on the spot. Beliefs about the negative consequences of donation and concerns over the medical care given to potential donors predicted (non) registration. Medical/healthcare participants reported lower levels of fears and concerns than nonhealthcare participants. Although both groups reported strong positive beliefs about donation, these did not predict registration.

Conclusions: Offering an immediate registration opportunity in 2 hospitals notably increased the number of registrations on the Australian Organ Donor Register, suggesting this is a strategy that could potentially increase registrations in opt-in donation systems.