**3. Conclusions**

Introducing a new conceptual line of teaching that will provides new approaches and even new slogans to be transmitted to society, could be a necessary test in a search for a progress

Clarify fundamental concepts previously mentioned and up-to-date information on organ donation and transplantation will help to understand fears and prejudices generated by

Previous information to the teachers by experts in social communication and specialists in transplants will be fundamental as an initial step for the realization of a new program of edu-

Recent experiences in Argentina and Canada, inspired by the previously described conceptual suggestions, have produced positive results. In their responses to a questionnaire completed after the class, students (aged 10–16 years, from households of different socio-economic levels) showed a clear understanding of the concepts taught, and a coherent and logical interpre-

The pilot trial consisted in a 45 min course followed by discussion and questions, with the

**2.** Assess in countries with socio-economic differences, the understanding and acceptance of

cation of the youth with transmission to the whole society.

60 Organ Donation and Transplantation - Current Status and Future Challenges

**1.** Evaluate the possibility of application of the project.

The following where the main topics included in the lecture:

**5.** Religious attitudes toward transplantation and organ donation.

basic concepts concerning organ donation.

in the results so far obtained.

ignorance.

tation of the problem.

following purposes:

**Materials and methods**

• Mixed school in Argentina.

• Girls school in Canada.

• Average age 12.9 years [11–14].

• Secondary school: 45 students. • Average age 14 years [13–16].

**1.** History of transplantation.

**3.** Cadaveric and living donor. **4.** Mortality on the waiting list.

**2.** Brain death.

Organ and tissue transplants provide the possibility of new life and improved health and well being. However, the number of patients who died due to lack of donated organs increases daily. The main cause of this paradox is inadequate social behavior regarding organ donation, both in life and after death. Education at all levels of society may offer the possibility of improving this critical situation. In this chapter, we suggest a change of methodology based primarily on a modification of the message. We emphasize the need to focus education at an early age, starting with primary school and intensifying it at the university level, especially in medical sciences.

In the USA from 1988 to 2010, donation-related policies on organ donation and transplantation increased in number from 7 to 50. That is great progress with intentions to improve a crisis. Nevertheless as remarked by Chatterjee et al. strategies to encourage organ donation have had no observable effect [55]. Millions of dollars have been unsuccessfully spent on the education of society seeking to change feelings toward organ donation [27]. Consequently, international figures have suggested the controversial need to institute legal and economic incentives to living and deceased donors [37].

The current contradiction is that the global success of organ transplantation is growing as fast as the waiting list and the mortality of its members.

Fundamental measures looking to improve the shortage of donated organs have been scientific and technical; however, there has not been a significant increase in the number of organs and tissues obtained for transplantation. Almost inexplicably, society's communication and education methodology has remained practically unchanged over time. It is clear that human behavior regarding organ donation should be critically analyzed to identify the most effective solutions for the shortage of donated organs. The virtual absence of positive attempts to modify human behavior concerning organ donation suggests a scientific stalemate for crisis resolution by the main protagonists. A change in the current philosophy of social education policies regarding organ donation and transplants is clearly necessary, as recognition and support by international health and education organizations will undoubtedly confirm this need.

In practice, every action to modify this crucial problem should be supported by International Transplant Societies through discussions and forums, which must include, in particular, leading international organizations in education and preventive health policies such as WHO and

The Society, the Barriers to Organ Donation and Alternatives for a Change

http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.73756

63

Alternatives to improve people's knowledge should be carefully planned so as to avoid the possibility that organ donation becomes equivalent to Shakespeare's disturbing reality of the

The author certifies that they have NO affiliations with or involvement in any organization or entity with any financial interest or non-financial interest in the subject matter or materials

Faculty of Medical Sciences, Catholic University Argentine, Buenos Aires, Argentina

worldcentric.org/conscious-living/social-and-economic-injustice

[1] World Centric. Social and Economic Injustice (Online). 2003. Available from: http://

[2] Cantarovich F, Heguilen R, Abbud Filho M, et al. An international opinion poll of welleducated people regarding awareness and feelings about organ donation for transplan-

[3] Bardell T, Hunter DJ, Kent WD, Jain MK.Do medical students have the knowledge needed to maximize organ donation rates? Canadian Journal of Surgery. 2003;**46**(6):453-457

[4] Liu H, Peng X, Zhang S, Qiao X, Hao Y. Posthumous organ donation beliefs of college students: A qualitative study. International Journal of Nursing Sciences. 2015;**2**(2):

[5] Chung CK, Ng CW, Li JY, et al. Attitudes, knowledge, and actions with regard to organ donation among Hong Kong medical students. Hong Kong Medical Journal. 2008;**14**(4):

UNESCO.

dramatic symbol of "to be or not to be".

Address all correspondence to: felix.cantarovich@orange.fr

tation. Transplant International. 2007;**20**(6):512-551

173-177. DOI: 10.1016/j.ijnss.2015.04.012

**Conflict of interest**

**Author details**

Félix Cantarovich

**References**

278-285

discussed in this manuscript.

As we have previously discussed, should be of critical importance to consider. In the development of new educational plans, the complex barriers to donation, deeply established in social behavior: fear of death and respect for the integrity of the body.

These psychological inhibitions have not been primarily considered in the educational programs. In particular, should be of interest that people can realize some crucial concepts such as that today the dead body represents a unique irreplaceable source of health.

An educational program developed by experts in sociology, psychology and theologians should be essential to carefully planned potential solutions of these real barriers to donation A change in transplant and organ donation education programs, efficiently reviewed, may be a challenge to change the inadequate people's behavior and the tragic consequences of organ failure. The persistence of current reality becomes an unanswered uncertainty.

We consider it of interest at the end of this article to hypothesize why the positive results obtained at an educational level in schools at Argentina and Canada, which have been internationally reported in specialized journals, have not been repeated, particularly in the analysis of the structural changes that have been suggested to carry out concerning education and the message to Society.

Models of social education whose qualities can generate important changes in individual behaviors can be resisted. All potential interested that has experienced long time traditional establishment educational programs usually develop resistance to a change.

Certainly, this resistance to educational changes, especially increases when it modifies ideas set up in the consciousness of people through the time.

The introduction of these educational changes with the aforementioned characteristics also seeks the learner's autonomy and the maximum development of their ability to change concepts firmly established in their knowledge.

In fact, these innovations cannot be taken in isolation or generated at individual levels. Undoubtedly they require the support of official or private institutions responsible for international education policies.

Dealing with ideas that will modify long-held concepts typically produces anxiety and worry.

Obviously, we can think, following concepts mentioned by Schoenberg in 1991 expressed "the transplant community has to offer strong stimuli that induces professors in various places to assume such a task" [54], that even for the main protagonists of the dilemma of organ shortage, the professionals responsible for the practice of transplantation, the influence of traditional educational establishment have not been totally overcome.

In practice, every action to modify this crucial problem should be supported by International Transplant Societies through discussions and forums, which must include, in particular, leading international organizations in education and preventive health policies such as WHO and UNESCO.

Alternatives to improve people's knowledge should be carefully planned so as to avoid the possibility that organ donation becomes equivalent to Shakespeare's disturbing reality of the dramatic symbol of "to be or not to be".
