Understanding and Supporting Public Information Needs About VCA Donation
Abstract
As the field of Vascular Composite Allotransplantation (VCA) grows, demand for VCA donations will increase. VCA donation requires separate authorization, commonly provided by deceased donors' next of kin. Therefore, the public should be educated to make informed decisions about VCA. This study aims to assess the availability and quality of existing VCA public education materials and to develop educational materials that increase public knowledge, understanding, perceptions of comfort, and willingness to donate. To date, 1,314 public education materials have been analyzed, including materials from organ procurement organizations (OPOs), VCA centers, the Organ Procurement and Transplant Network, Veterans Affairs, the Department of Defense, and Health Resources and Services Administration. Materials included: web pages, written documents (e.g., fact sheets, research reports), and OPO Facebook and Twitter posts. Materials commonly covered upper limb (34.7 percent) and face (34.5 percent) transplants, and often referenced a specific VCA story (76.6 percent). Materials less commonly covered reproductive VCA (6.4 percent) or other VCA types (2.8 percent). In addition, six focus groups with members of the public have been conducted to date (n=42 total). These focus groups assessed public opinion on VCA. Analysis of these focus groups is ongoing. Current VCA public education materials do not adequately educate the public. More comprehensive education materials are needed to prepare the public to authorize VCA donation, become potential donors, or learn about transplant options.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Oct 01, 2019
- Accession Number
- AD1089987
Entities
People
- Macey L Henderson
Organizations
- Johns Hopkins University