Public education materials about Vascular Composite Allotransplantation and donation in the United States: Current scope and limitations

Sarah E. Van Pilsum Rasmussen, Jefferson Uriarte, Naomi Anderson, Brianna Doby, Alexander Ferzola, Hannah Sung, Carisa Cooney, Gerald Brandacher, Elisa Gordon, Dorry L. Segev, Macey L. Henderson

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

As the field of Vascular Composite Allotransplantation (VCA) grows, demand for VCA donations will increase. The public should be made aware of this treatment option to support patients' informed decision-making and authorization for deceased donation. We assessed the availability and quality of existing VCA public education materials from organ procurement organizations (OPOs), transplant centers, the Organ Procurement and Transplant Network, Veterans Affairs, and the Department of Defense. A content analysis was performed to identify topics covered and important gaps. In total, 1314 public education materials were analyzed, including OPO Facebook posts (61.6%), OPO Twitter posts (29.9%), websites (6.4%), and written documents (eg, fact sheets, research reports) (2.1%). Upper extremity (34.7%) and face (34.5%) transplants were more commonly covered than reproductive (6.4%) or other VCA types (2.8%). Most materials (76.6%) referenced a specific VCA story. However, few materials described which patient population could benefit from VCA (eg, Veterans, amputees, burn victims, 16.4%), the authorization requirements for VCA donation (6.6%), or the appearance of transplanted VCA organs (1.2%). Current VCA public education materials do not adequately educate the public. More comprehensive education materials are needed to prepare the public to authorize VCA donation, become potential donors, or learn about transplant options.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Article numbere14066
JournalClinical Transplantation
Volume34
Issue number11
DOIs
StatePublished - Nov 2020

Keywords

  • Vascular Composite Allotransplantation
  • content analysis
  • education
  • reconstructive transplantation
  • vascular composite allograft

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Transplantation

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Public education materials about Vascular Composite Allotransplantation and donation in the United States: Current scope and limitations'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this