Using Online Communication Skills Training to Increase Organ Donation Authorization

Area of Science:

• Medical Social Sciences
• Public Health
• Healthcare Management

Background:

• Family refusal of organ donation significantly contributes to the organ transplant shortage in the U.S.
• Effective communication strategies are crucial for increasing organ donor authorization rates.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate if an evidence-based communication intervention improves deceased organ donor authorization rates from family decision-makers.
• To assess the impact of the intervention on the communication skills of Organ Procurement Organization (OPO) professionals.

Main Methods:

• A nationwide implementation and dissemination study involving OPO professionals.
• A 14-month social marketing campaign to recruit participants.
• A pre-intervention, intervention, and post-intervention design with participants serving as their own controls.
• Weekly online surveys to assess communication skills and authorization rates.

Main Results:

• Overall deceased organ donor authorization rates did not significantly improve post-intervention.
• A subgroup of requesters with initially low authorization rates showed improvement after the intervention (46% to 73%).
• Another subgroup with low and variable rates did not improve, and one group maintained high rates.

Conclusions:

• Evidence-based communication training is valuable for OPO professionals.
• Targeted training, tailored to individual skill levels, is necessary to enhance performance and increase organ donation authorization rates.
• Future interventions should consider differential effects on various requester groups.