The Organ Shortage Crisis: Analyzing MA Perspectives and Considering Future Donation Legislation

Abstract

Public awareness and opinions on organ donation, as well as donation-related topics, are factors that contribute to a population’s organ donation rate. Considering the growing global organ shortage, assessing these factors and finding areas of improvement for donation education and publicly supported paths to approaching the issue is critical. The aim of this study was to collect and evaluate the knowledge and opinions of Massachusetts residents on organ donation and related topics. This was done using an online survey questionnaire with a total of 100 valid responses. This study concluded that the promotion of organ donation in the United States should primarily place focus on increased donation education campaigns, for both the general public and within the K-12 curriculum. Also, plan to move toward presumed consent, and not financial incentives, while the world waits for scientific advances, such as the development of synthetic organs, to be further researched.