BACKGROUND: Little is known regarding the potential of Internet-based educational interventions to increase organ donor registry participation and family notification of donation wishes. We studied the effects of an Internet-based multimedia intervention (www.journey.transweb.org) on donor registry participation and family notification. METHODS: Visitors to a specially designed web site were studied between December 14, 2000, and March 31, 2002. Demographic characteristics were requested, and a pretest was administered to one half of the participants (selected randomly) before web site content exposure. All visitors were offered a posttest. Eight knowledge questions (true/false), three attitude questions (7-point scale), and three behaviors (yes/no) were assessed. RESULTS: A total of 10,884 visitors provided demographic data. Correct answers to knowledge questions increased from 85.1% to 87.0% overall (pretest vs. posttest; P<0.001) and from 80.6% to 82.0% for teenagers (P<0.001). Willingness to donate increased (scores of 6.34 vs. 6.39; P<0.001), as did willingness to join a donor registry (scores of 5.53 vs. 5.67; P<0.001). Willingness measures were less positive among teenagers but increased significantly after exposure to the intervention. Almost 10% of visitors directly linked to an online registry and 2,489 (23%) used the web site facilities to communicate donation wishes. Increases in knowledge were not associated with changes in attitudes, but an increase in pro-donation attitude was a significant predictor of donor registry participation (P<0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Increases in donation attitudes among visitors to an organ donation web site resulted in positive behaviors, such as enrollment in a donor registry and family notification. Future efforts should focus on using Internet-based interventions to improve attitudes toward donation and to facilitate pro-donation behaviors.
BACKGROUND: Little is known regarding the potential of Internet-based educational interventions to increase organ donor registry participation and family notification of donation wishes. We studied the effects of an Internet-based multimedia intervention (www.journey.transweb.org) on donor registry participation and family notification. METHODS: Visitors to a specially designed web site were studied between December 14, 2000, and March 31, 2002. Demographic characteristics were requested, and a pretest was administered to one half of the participants (selected randomly) before web site content exposure. All visitors were offered a posttest. Eight knowledge questions (true/false), three attitude questions (7-point scale), and three behaviors (yes/no) were assessed. RESULTS: A total of 10,884 visitors provided demographic data. Correct answers to knowledge questions increased from 85.1% to 87.0% overall (pretest vs. posttest; P<0.001) and from 80.6% to 82.0% for teenagers (P<0.001). Willingness to donate increased (scores of 6.34 vs. 6.39; P<0.001), as did willingness to join a donor registry (scores of 5.53 vs. 5.67; P<0.001). Willingness measures were less positive among teenagers but increased significantly after exposure to the intervention. Almost 10% of visitors directly linked to an online registry and 2,489 (23%) used the web site facilities to communicate donation wishes. Increases in knowledge were not associated with changes in attitudes, but an increase in pro-donation attitude was a significant predictor of donor registry participation (P<0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Increases in donation attitudes among visitors to an organ donation web site resulted in positive behaviors, such as enrollment in a donor registry and family notification. Future efforts should focus on using Internet-based interventions to improve attitudes toward donation and to facilitate pro-donation behaviors.
Authors: Vicky Cárdenas; John D Thornton; Kristine A Wong; Clarence Spigner; Margaret D Allen Journal: Clin Transplant Date: 2010 Nov-Dec Impact factor: 2.863
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Authors: Kimberly R Jacob Arriola; Nakeva Redmond; Dana H Z Williamson; Nancy J Thompson; Jennie P Perryman; Rachel E Patzer; Melissa Williams Journal: J Natl Med Assoc Date: 2018-10-13 Impact factor: 1.798
Authors: Nakeva Redmond; Laura Harker; Yvan Bamps; Shauna St Clair Flemming; Jennie P Perryman; Nancy J Thompson; Rachel E Patzer; Nancy S DeSousa Williams; Kimberly R Jacob Arriola Journal: J Med Internet Res Date: 2017-11-30 Impact factor: 5.428