An ethical appraisal of financial incentives for organ donation

Organ donation in the US and Europe: The supply vs demand imbalance

Organ donation and transplantation remain the best and most cost-effective clinical solution for end-stage organ failure. Several agencies across the US and Europe provide legislative, regulatory, and humanitarian services to generate smoother applications in all transplantation processes and donor-recipient relationships. US and European statistics present nine types of grafts, with kidneys being the most transplanted organ worldwide. However, organ shortage, religion, underrepresented minority groups, difficulties in obtaining consent, lack of understanding, and general ethical concerns present challenging barriers to organ donation, reflecting the complexity of graft procurement and allocation. Breaking down these barriers to reduce the organ-supply imbalance requires an appropriate multifaceted approach. Some of the key areas include increasing the potential donor pool and consent rates, apt organ allocation, and improving organ health. Additionally, suitable policies and standardized guidelines for both donors and recipients, alongside educational initiatives, are needed to ensure patient safety and global awareness. Looking forward, novel and effective research plans and initiatives are needed if we are to avoid a colossal supply-demand gap.

The influence of beliefs on organ donation intention

Purpose

Recent technological developments in healthcare have enabled an increased number of organ transplantation surgeries. At the same time, there is an increase in the number of people awaiting organ transplant, coupled with the difficulty in donation. To bridge this gap, this study aims to propose to evaluate the effect of three types of beliefs (clinical beliefs, financial incentive beliefs and beliefs on the social benefits of altruism and solidarity) on the intention to donate organs. Moreover, this paper uses the attitudes in relation to donation to explain the effect of these beliefs on the intention to donate organs.

Design/methodology/approach

The research was conducted using a survey of 422 Brazilian participants and a mediation analysis to test the mediation hypotheses.

Findings

The results suggest that the effect of three types of beliefs (clinical, economic order and social solidarity) influence the intention to donate organs indirectly through the formation of attitudes concerning organ donation.

Research limitations/implications

This article contributes to the understanding of the formation of organ donation intentions and the role of different types of beliefs in the formation of such intentions.

Originality/value

The findings extend the discussions regarding the role of beliefs in the formation of attitudes and intentions of organ donation and have significant value in creating public policies that further promote organ donation.