Social Media and Organ Donation - A Narrative Review

Abstract

Increasing demand for organ transplantation which is often the lifesaving treatment for organ failure and a shortage of organs is a crisis prevalent in many countries. Proactive engagement of the society by improving awareness about organ donation is perceived to be the key to address the problem of organ shortage. In the current digital era, social media (SoMe) organ donation campaigns are one of the most practical and effective ways to disseminate information and promote collaboration among participants. Many governmental and nongovernmental organizations and social activists are utilizing popular SoMe platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and Instagram to promote organ donation awareness. Although such SoMe campaigns are impactful and open unique possibilities to address organ shortage, one should also be aware of the challenges of maintaining confidentiality, the potential for misuse, misinformation, and negative framing. In this narrative review, we review the use of SoMe to promote organ donation including its benefits, pitfalls, and attempt to list some recommendations.

The changing landscape in nephrology education in India

“…In 2021, Basu et al. created “best practice” recommendations for social media use concerning organ donation ( 36 ). These guidelines can serve as a foundation for the use of social media for advocacy of other initiatives as well.…”

Social media and organ donation: Pros and cons

“…Implementing strategies such as dispersing accurate, clear, and focused messages and preparing an ethically guided framework could be applied to avoid ethical dilemmas. [ 45 ] Unregulated use of SoMe for organ transplantation by individual institutions may be interpreted as advertisement, and hence may induce mistrust among public. At present, creation of awareness by SoMe must be done only by the appropriate authority in transplant and restricted to deceased donation in the Indian scenario.…”