Evaluation of an educational, theater-based intervention on attitudes toward organ donation in Risaralda, Colombia / Evaluación del impacto de una intervención basada en teatro sobre las actitudes hacia la donación de órganos en Risaralda, Colombia

Introduction:The shortage of organs for transplantation is aworldwide problem and the main cause is the refusal of familymembers to donate. Consent to donate is influenced by manyfactors and educational interventions are strongly recommen-ded.Objective:To evaluate the impact of an educational, theater-based strategy on the attitudes toward organ donation.Methodology:This study employed an intervention usingtheater as the central tool. The impact of this interventionon the intention to donate was assessed through a controlled,prospective, nonrandomized designed study. The sample con-sisted of 1,038 people. All the participants answered a surveythat asked about sex, age and intent to donate. Afterward, oneportion of the sample was exposed to the play, The Gift of Life,and a subsequent discussion forum that was guided by experts.The same survey was administered again after the interven-tion.Results:Before the intervention, donation attitudes were posi-tive in 68.3 percent of the responses, negative in 6.8 percent and uncertainin 24.9 percent. Females showed a greater intent to donate while agehad no apparent influence on the donation decision. Those ex-posed to the intervention were found to be more likely to do-nate and show a favorable change in attitude toward donationthan those who were not exposed to the intervention.Conclusion:An educational intervention using theater is aneffective tool to generate a short-term change in the intent todonate. Educational strategies should be employed to increasethe rates of organ donation.

Evaluation of an educational, theater-based intervention on attitudes toward organ donation in Risaralda, Colombia.

INTRODUCTION: The shortage of organs for transplantation is a worldwide problem and the main cause is the refusal of family members to donate. Consent to donate is influenced by many factors and educational interventions are strongly recommended. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the impact of an educational, theaterbased strategy on the attitudes toward organ donation. METHODS: This study employed an intervention using theater as the central tool. The impact of this intervention on the intention to donate was assessed through a controlled, prospective, nonrandomized designed study. The sample consisted of 1,038 people. All the participants answered a survey that asked about sex, age and intent to donate. Afterward, one portion of the sample was exposed to the play, The Gift of Life, and a subsequent discussion forum that was guided by experts. The same survey was administered again after the intervention. RESULTS: Before the intervention, donation attitudes were positive in 68.3% of the responses, negative in 6.8% and uncertain in 24.9%. Females showed a greater intent to donate while age had no apparent influence on the donation decision. Those exposed to the intervention were found to be more likely to donate and show a favorable change in attitude toward donation than those who were not exposed to the intervention. CONCLUSION: An educational intervention using theater is an effective tool to generate a short-term change in the intent to donate. Educational strategies should be employed to increase the rates of organ donation.

INTRODUCCIÓN: La escasa disponibilidad de órganos para transplantes es un problema de escala mundial y la principal causa es la negativa de los familiares del donante. El consentimiento para donar está influenciado por una multitud de factores y las intervenciones educativas han sido intensamente recomendadas. OBJETIVO: Evaluar el impacto de una estrategia pedagógica basada en el teatro sobre las actitudes hacia la donación de órganos. METODOLOGÍA: Este estudio utilizó una intervención teatral como herramienta central de trabajo y evaluó su impacto sobre la intención de donación usando un diseño controlado, prospectivo y no aleatorizado. La muestra consistió de 1,038 personas. Todos los participantes respondieron una encuesta que preguntaba acerca del género, edad e intención de donación. Después de ésta, una parte de la muestra fue expuesta a la obra teatral El Regalo de la Vida, seguida de un foro de discusión con expertos. La misma encuesta inicial fue aplicada de nuevo después de la intervención. RESULTADOS: Antes de la intervención, las actitudes hacia la donación fueron positivas en 68.3% de los casos, negativa en 6.8% e incierta en 24.9%. Las mujeres mostraron una mayor intención de donación mientras que la edad no tuvo ninguna influencia. Aquellas personas expuestas a la intervención estuvieron más inclinadas hacia la donación y mostraron un cambio favorable en su actitud que aquellas que no fueron expuestas a ésta. CONCLUSIÓN: Una intervención educativa usando el teatro es una herramienta efectiva para generar un cambio en al intención de donación de órganos. Estrategias educativas similares a ésta deben implementarse para incrementar la tasa de donación de órganos entre la población general.