Organ donation in Romanian media: a content analysis

Abstract

Background In 2010, Romania had one of the lowest organ donation rates from Europe. Despite the several legislative measures taken in the past five years, Romania still ranks near the bottom of the European hierarchy, especially for the deceased donors. In absence of personal experience, the mass media is the main source of information about donation and transplantation for the public. This study aims to explore the content and quality of romanian media reports related to the organ donation. Methods We searched using "organ donation" term for media reports published online between May 2010 and January 2016 in Romanian language. The following materials were considered eligible: newspapers, magazines, informational websites and videos. We will conduct a content analysis of 234 media reports selected. Expected results A subsample of 60 materials was examined in order to create the coding instrument. The preliminary results indicated that the materials are predominantly neutral (for example, factual information about organ procurement and transplantation system, statistics) and positive (e.g., "a miracle", "the greatest gift", "donors as heroes, good people", stories about successful transplantation). Although fewer media reports are negative or extremely negative (e.g., "doctors as butchers", "organ procurement from brain dead donors is a murder", "organ market"), these influence more the public opinion. Current stage of work Creating the coding protocol. Discussion The mass media plays a central role in creating the social representation of organ donation, therefore educational interventions that address changing the negative framing of organ donation are needed.