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Olsacher A, Bade C, Ehlers J, Freitag B, Fehring L. Messaging strategies for communicating health-related information in social media-a content and effectiveness analysis of organ donation posts on Instagram in Germany. BMC Public Health 2023; 23:867. [PMID: 37170189 PMCID: PMC10176822 DOI: 10.1186/s12889-023-15736-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/05/2022] [Accepted: 04/23/2023] [Indexed: 05/13/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Although organ transplantation is a very effective clinical solution to save the lives of patients suffering from organ failure, the supply of donated organs still cannot meet its growing demand. Educating the society about organ donation is a critical success factor in increasing donation rates, especially in countries that require potential donors to proactively register and opt-in (e.g., Germany). While social media has emerged as an effective tool for disseminating health information, recent evidence suggests that published organ donation content (both online and offline), aimed at raising awareness, still lacks effectiveness. To develop recommendations for optimizing organ donation messaging via social media, this study not only examines the current state of organ donation communication on Instagram, but also identifies factors that contribute to message effectiveness. METHODS We conducted a retrospective content analysis to in-depth assess organ donation-related content published on Instagram in Germany between January and March 2022. Systematic coding allowed to identify common themes, sentiments, and communication strategies, which were analyzed for their effectiveness using linear regression analyses. RESULTS Of the 500 organ donation posts, 57% were published by institutional authors while the remainder was shared by private accounts. Most content was aimed at the general population and shared neutral (80%) or positive sentiments (17%). Transformative messages, positive emotions, posts published by the transplant recipient and the image of a human served as predictors for post effectiveness measured in terms of likes (p < 0.001) and comments (p < 0.01). Sharing personal experiences (p < 0.01) and highlighting the meaning of organ donations (p < 0.05) resulted in significantly higher audience engagement than any other topic discussed. CONCLUSION Our findings highlight the need for health officials to work closely with organ transplant recipients to publicly advocate for organ donations by sharing personal and transformative messages. The high share of posts published by transplant recipients indicates a certain openness to share personal experiences with broad audiences. Different message characteristics served as predictors for message effectiveness (i.e., increased audience engagement) which can likely be extrapolated to other health-related use cases (e.g., cancer screening).
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexandra Olsacher
- Witten/Herdecke University, Faculty of Health, School of Medicine, Alfred-Herrhausen-Straße 45, Witten, 58455, Germany
| | - Celina Bade
- Witten/Herdecke University, Faculty of Health, School of Medicine, Alfred-Herrhausen-Straße 45, Witten, 58455, Germany
| | - Jan Ehlers
- Witten/Herdecke University, Faculty of Health, School of Medicine, Didactics and Educational Research in Health Care, Witten, Germany
| | - Bettina Freitag
- Witten/Herdecke University, Faculty of Health, School of Medicine, Alfred-Herrhausen-Straße 45, Witten, 58455, Germany
| | - Leonard Fehring
- Witten/Herdecke University, Faculty of Health, School of Medicine, Alfred-Herrhausen-Straße 45, Witten, 58455, Germany.
- Helios Universitätsklinik Wuppertal, Klinik Für Gastroenterologie, Hepatologie, Endokrinologie Und Diabetologie, Wuppertal, Germany.
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[Organ donation after determination of brain death : Legal aspects and practical approach]. DIE ANAESTHESIOLOGIE 2023; 72:67-78. [PMID: 36637499 PMCID: PMC9839225 DOI: 10.1007/s00101-022-01241-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 12/06/2022] [Indexed: 01/14/2023]
Abstract
The prerequisites for post-mortem organ donation in Germany include the determination of irreversible loss of brain function, consent to organ donation, and the exclusion of medical contraindications. In addition, mainly because of the shortage of donor organs in Germany and the sometimes controversial social and media discussions on the topic of organ donation, all physicians involved in the donation process must be familiar with the relevant laws, guidelines, and procedural instructions. This applies especially to those who are to carry out the verification of irreversible brain death. Only then, can they act safely in this challenging situation and serve as competent consultants for all involved.
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Luo A, He H, Xu Z, Ouyang W, Chen Y, Li K, Xie W. A Qualitative Study in Family Units on Organ Donation: Attitude, Influencing Factors and Communication Patterns. Transpl Int 2022; 35:10411. [PMID: 35401037 PMCID: PMC8983816 DOI: 10.3389/ti.2022.10411] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/07/2022] [Accepted: 02/24/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022]
Abstract
This study aimed to analyze the attitude, influencing factors and communication patterns of organ donation in Chinses families. We conducted in-depth interviews with 97 participants from 26 families in China from August 2018 to October 2020. Interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed by the researchers. Thematic analysis was used to analyze the data and Nvivo 12 was used to catalog coded data. Thirty-eight participants indicated that they would like to be a donor while the majority were unlikely to donate. Among those who were willing to donate, some disagreed with family members to donate organs. Themes found included attitude, the timing of thinking, taboo and fear, traditional beliefs, ethics and family communication patterns. Lack of knowledge, fear, taboo, some traditional beliefs and mistrust may discourage donation. Altruism and policy which is good for the family seem to encourage donation. We also constructed three family communication patterns to provide a deeper understanding of the family in China. This is the first qualitative study that analyzed attitude, influencing factors and communication patterns based on family units in China mainland. Our findings showed that family comes first in Chinese. We suggest that family-based consent and incentives are more suitable for the Chinese social context.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aijing Luo
- The Third Xiangya Hospital of Central South University, Changsha, China.,Second Xiangya Hospital of Central South University, Changsha, China.,Key Laboratory of Medical Information Research (Central South University), College of Hunan Province, Changsha, China
| | - Haiyan He
- The Third Xiangya Hospital of Central South University, Changsha, China.,Key Laboratory of Medical Information Research (Central South University), College of Hunan Province, Changsha, China.,School of Life Sciences, Central South University, Changsha, China
| | - Zehua Xu
- The Third Xiangya Hospital of Central South University, Changsha, China.,Key Laboratory of Medical Information Research (Central South University), College of Hunan Province, Changsha, China.,Public Health College of Central South University, Changsha, China
| | - Wei Ouyang
- The Third Xiangya Hospital of Central South University, Changsha, China.,Key Laboratory of Medical Information Research (Central South University), College of Hunan Province, Changsha, China.,School of Life Sciences, Central South University, Changsha, China
| | - Yang Chen
- School of Life Sciences, Central South University, Changsha, China
| | - Ke Li
- The Third Xiangya Hospital of Central South University, Changsha, China.,Key Laboratory of Medical Information Research (Central South University), College of Hunan Province, Changsha, China.,School of Life Sciences, Central South University, Changsha, China
| | - Wenzhao Xie
- The Third Xiangya Hospital of Central South University, Changsha, China.,Key Laboratory of Medical Information Research (Central South University), College of Hunan Province, Changsha, China.,School of Life Sciences, Central South University, Changsha, China
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Fehring Z, Boehme P, Wirth S, Prinz C, Fehring L. [GPs education about organ donation: what factors influence the success?]. MMW Fortschr Med 2022; 164:3-10. [PMID: 35449486 DOI: 10.1007/s15006-022-0854-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND According to the new legislation on organ donation in Germany, general practitioners (GPs) should regularly inform and educate their patients about organ donation from March 1, 2022. This is because of the persistently low organ donation rate in Germany. So far, there is a lack of information about the factors influencing the medical education of patients regarding organ donation provided by GPs. METHOD GPs were surveyed via a web-based questionnaire in November and December 2021. 215 data sets have been utilized. RESULTS GPs see themselves in charge for educating people about organ donation (86%). However, most of them invest little time in educating patients. 75% of GPs think that there is no time available for educational talks in the daily routine and 80% perceive difficulties in raising the issue of organ donation due to social taboos. Only 24% of GPs are aware of the new legislation. Only half of the respondents feel sufficiently informed to provide information about organ donation. On average, GPs consider a reimbursement of about 40 euros to be appropriate. CONCLUSIONS GPs have not dealt much with the topic of organ donation and need more comprehensive information for the education of patients. GPs require more time to accommodate education in everyday life. Younger citizens can only be reached by GPs to a limited extent. This group must be addressed by other means.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zoë Fehring
- Fakultät für Gesundheit, Universität Witten/Herdecke, Witten, Germany
| | - Philip Boehme
- Fakultät für Gesundheit, Universität Witten/Herdecke, Witten, Germany
| | | | | | - Leonard Fehring
- Fakultät für Gesundheit, Universität Witten/Herdecke, Witten, Germany.
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[New German laws on organ donation-clinicians' perspectives on effects, potential and limitations]. Urologe A 2021; 60:1570-1578. [PMID: 34643759 PMCID: PMC8654720 DOI: 10.1007/s00120-021-01645-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 08/25/2021] [Indexed: 10/26/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND The new German laws on organ donation of 2019 and 2020 intend to increase the organ donation rate. They include the optimization of organizational structures, the introduction of an online registry to document the patient's will and measures to improve information of the public. To date, little is known about clinicians' perspectives on these new laws. METHODS We conducted a two-stage sequential-mixed-method study. As part of an online survey, 1235 physicians from more than 90 hospitals throughout Germany participated. RESULTS Many clinicians name structural deficits as causes for the low donation rate in Germany. Less than half of the physicians who are exposed to organ donors regularly consider themselves to be adequately educated about organ donation. Physicians' educational discussions with patients have a significant influence on patients' decision-making but are rarely provided by doctors. In the decision-making situation, relatives are often overwhelmed because they have dealt with the topics of death and organ donation too little during their lifetime. General practitioners play a key role in educating and informing the population. Only a few respondents expect a positive impact on the organ donation rate by the introduction of an online donation registry. CONCLUSION With the latest legislation, the most relevant structural deficits named by physicians have been addressed. An additional increase in organ donation rate could be achieved through professionalized care for relatives. A more frequent public discussion about death and organ donation could facilitate decision-making by relatives in individual cases.
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