Shifting towards an Opt-Out System in Greece: A General Practice Based Pilot Study

Abstract

New legislation in Greece towards presumed consent for organ donation, effective as of June 2013, has come at a critical moment. This pilot study aims to explore awareness, specific concerns and intentions about the new organ donation framework among patients attending Greek general practices in a rural and urban setting. Only 2.6% of respondents had a donor card, a mere 9.6% was aware of new legislation, whereas only 3.8% considered that the public had been adequately informed. Higher income respondents were more likely to be aware that they would be considered organ donors upon death, unless declared differently. Urban practice respondents were less likely to have previously discussed with a significant other their intentions in regards to presumed consent. One quarter of all respondents (22.4%) intended to carry out their right to prohibit organ removal upon death. Survey results reveal that organ donation reform has yet to be disseminated by the Greek society, underscoring the urgency for targeted information campaigns.

Organ Donation Knowledge and Attitudes among Health Science Students in Greece: Emerging Interprofessional Needs

“…In another Greek general practice study, patients with a donor card accounted for only 2.6%, with one out of four intending to carry out their right to prohibit organ removal upon death 17. The strong association between possession of an organ donor card (informed group) and the willingness to donate organs has been shown in a German study among public officials 33.…”

Distinguishing Between Substance Use and Substance Use Disorder

“…In the year of transition, a survey of primary care patients reported that very few were aware of the organ donation legislation change, and more than 20% of respondents intended to prohibit the removal of their organs upon death. 2 Lack of focused information and low awareness may lead to informal interactions in closely knit communities, possibly resulting to greater optout rates. 2 In a multiethnic area of south London, reluctance among some groups to donate outside their narrow community may also increase the gap between the need for organs and their availability.…”

“…2 Lack of focused information and low awareness may lead to informal interactions in closely knit communities, possibly resulting to greater optout rates. 2 In a multiethnic area of south London, reluctance among some groups to donate outside their narrow community may also increase the gap between the need for organs and their availability. 3 Furthermore, it has been hypothesized that sociocultural features of communities may greatly influence perceptions of organ donation enhancing diversity.…”

“…We find, to the contrary, that tax incentives are associated with a statistically and economically significant increase in donations in New York, although our method does not allow us to obtain reliable results in other states. 2 The principal reason for the differing outcomes is methodological. Chatterjee et al 1 rely on a difference-in-differences (DiD) method, a statistical technique that mimics research using observational study data.…”

Organ donation education

“…Reaching the public with information and support is more important than ever, with changes in the legislation coming up. When evaluating the introduction of an opt-out system in Greece, this also became apparent (53). Only 3.8% of the citizens considered the public to be adequately informed.…”