Health Literacy and Official Websites about Deceased Organ Donation

Authors

  • Maria Theodosopoulou Imperial College London, UK
  • Zoe-Athena Papalois Kings College London, UK
  • Frank J.M.F. Dor f.dor@nhs.net
  • Daniel Casanova University of Cantabria, Spain
  • Vassilios Papalois Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust, UK

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.4000/cp.11333

Keywords:

health literacy, organ donation, transplants, national websites, raising awareness

Abstract

Making informed decisions such as organ donation requires access to accurate, readily available and reliable information. One of the most easily accessible resources are the official national websites of countries around the topic of Deceased organ Donation (DOD). The content of the official organ donation websites in the UK (NHSBT), the Netherlands (ONT) and Spain (NTS) were analysed. This is a step towards finding the parameters of a health literacy agenda on organ donation and transplantation. Cross-comparative content analysis was employed and subsequently thematic analysis was used to locate themes and sub-themes in the sections of these websites and coverage of themes was assessed. The analysis was performed using Atlas.ti software in 2014-2016. The information provided in these websites were categorised in five themes consisting of Theme 1: Personal Values for Organ Donation, Theme 2: Facts on the Organ Donation Process, Theme 3: Registration Options, Theme 4: Communicating with Family Members and Theme 5: Promotional resources. Within themes 2 and 3, further sub themes were identified to explore the topic more fully. The information in the websites provides an overview of the main areas of organ donation in which the public is informed in different countries and highlights that changes need to be implemented in an individual, community and population level.

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Author Biographies

  • Maria Theodosopoulou, Imperial College London, UK

    Has studied Philosophy, Education and Psychology, has a Master’s degree in Career Counselling and a PhD in Lifelong Learning. She has recently finished her PhD on Deceased Organ Donation and Health Literacy at Imperial College London. She has worked for more than ten years in the fields of lifelong learning and adult education.

  • Zoe-Athena Papalois, Kings College London, UK

    Studies Medicine and intercalated in Human Anatomy and Developmental Biology, obtaining a First Class iBSc degree from King’s College London. She has an interest in Bioethics particularly in Paediatric Medicine, Law and History of Art.

  • Frank J.M.F. Dor, f.dor@nhs.net

    Consultant Transplant Surgeon and Head of Transplantation at Imperial College Renal and Transplant Centre, London, UK. Before moving to the UK in 2016, he was Consultant Transplant Surgeon and Surgical Director of the kidney transplant programme at Erasmus MC, Rotterdam, The Netherlands. He attended medical school in Antwerp and Rotterdam (MD 2001, cum laude), and conducted his PhD research in Transplant Immunology at Harvard Medical School, Boston, USA (PhD 2006, cum laude). He is an active clinical and translational scientist, and a passionate educationalist.

  • Daniel Casanova, University of Cantabria, Spain

    Professor of Surgery at the University of Cantabria in Spain and Head of Transplantation Surgery at the University Hospital Marqués de Valdecilla in Santander, Spain. Professor Casanova is also Honorary Chairman of the Board of Transplantation of the European Union of Medical Specialists (UEMS).

  • Vassilios Papalois, Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust, UK

    MD, PhD, FICS, FRCS, FEBS : Professor of Transplantation Surgery and Consultant Transplant and General Surgeon at the Hammersmith Hospital, Imperial College, London, UK. He leads a Transplant Centre of Excellence focusing on high risk and extended criteria kidney and pancreas transplantation. He has been active in surgical research for more than 20 years and has published over 200 papers in peer review journals, 20 book chapters and 7 books. He is the President of the European Society of Organ Transplantation (ESOT), the President of the European Union of Medical Specialists (UEMS), Member of the Executive Board of the Association of Surgeons of Great Britain and Ireland (ASGBI), Member of Council of the European Society of Surgery (ESS) and Member of the Council of the British Journal of Surgery Society (BJS). He has been awarded a Silver National Award for Clinical Excellence by the UK Department of the Health, a Senior Clinical Investigator Award by the European Society for Organ Transplantation and a Teaching Excellence Award by Imperial College.

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Published

2021-08-06

Issue

Vol. 15 No. 29 (2020): Number with Special Issue

Section

Special Dossier: Communicating Health – Fundamentals and Practices Towards a Bet

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How to Cite

Health Literacy and Official Websites about Deceased Organ Donation. (2021). Comunicação Pública, 15(29). https://doi.org/10.4000/cp.11333