Mass media campaigns and organ donation: a systematic review

The media's extensive reach and influence make it a powerful tool for addressing the global shortage of transplantable organs. This systematic review of media campaigns synthesizes the available evaluations to understand what messages exist and why some campaigns work, while others are less effective.

A team searched EBSCOhost, ProQuest, and Google for English-eligible studies. Additional studies were added from reference lists and communication with global organizations. We adapted existing checklists to assess the studies' quality and extracted findings. We synthesized findings from 37 articles published between 1990 and 2024 from seven countries.

Messages were often altruistic; gain-framed messages were more effective than loss-framed or high-threat messages. Emotional appeals, such as donor and recipient narratives, enhanced audience engagement, empathy, and trust. Campaigns that were culturally tailored, integrated multimedia approaches with interpersonal communication, and offered actionable components demonstrated greater success in influencing knowledge, attitudes, intentions, and behaviors.

Future campaigns should leverage multimedia platforms, practical tools, and culturally tailored messaging to engage diverse audiences. Researchers must prioritize theoretical frameworks, pre-testing, and robust evaluation methods to enhance the reliability of findings. By addressing these gaps, campaigns can better promote organ donation, saving lives and reducing the global organ shortage.