The Case against More Public Education to Promote Organ Donation

Abstract

The organ procurement community has always considered public education a primary challenge. According to conventional wisdom, greater awareness generated by public education will lead to more donated organs. This notion may be based on faulty assumptions about public education and about the relationship between awareness and behavior. Public education, as the primary focus for the organ procurement community, should be abandoned. Increased efforts in professional education and basic research are more appropriate endeavors for organ procurement organizations.