In August 2005, the New York Alliance for Donation was one of five recipients of a US Department of Health and Human Services grant. The funding is being used to increase registry rates and family notification among medical students and medical residents training in New York State. The project also educates medical residents in surgery, neurology, emergency medicine and primary care about communicating effectively with families and patients about organ donation. Collaborators on the grant are the New York Alliance for Donation and the State University of New York at Buffalo.

Recent research has identified knowledge deficiencies in healthcare professionals regarding the organ, eye, and tissue donation and transplantation process, specifically issues related to brain death and communication with next-of-kin.

Goals
Increase the number of medical students and medical residents who declare their intent to donate and notify next-of-kin of their decision. Objectives: (1) Increase knowledge and awareness of the critical need for organ and tissue donors through formal education modules within the medical school/residency curricula. (2) Through the use of a previously created CD-ROM, instruct medical students and residents of the dynamics, ethics, and challenges in communicating to families about organ donation.

Objective #1: To shape first and second year medical students’ knowledge, self-efficacy, and outcome expectations related to organ and tissue donation through one or more educational modules during the “Clinical Practice of Medicine” course.

Objective #2: To educate medical residents in surgery, neurology, emergency medicine and primary care about issues relevant to communication with families and patients about organ donation and to positively influence residents’ efficacy and outcome expectations related to OTD.

Rationale
An informed physician will be more helpful and comforting to families of eligible organ donors, as organ and tissue donation is more often successful when OPO representatives and health professionals are involved with the donor’s family. Research also shows that both laypersons and medical professionals’ knowledge about the organ and tissue donation process is lacking in several areas. There is an established relationship in the literature between knowledge about organ donation and how often one discusses and promotes the topic in their social networks for critical health professionals like physicians education during their training period will impact behavior in their future practice.

Implementation
Medical trainees will be exposed to one or more educational interventions designed to inform and shape students’ position on the topic of organ and tissue donation. Through active and integrative learning strategies, students and residents will be better informed about organ and tissue donation, have a greater level of comfort in discussing organ and tissue donation with colleagues and patients, and will consider organ and tissue donation a more salient topic. Participants are first and second year medical students and medical residents in neurology, emergency medicine, surgery, and primary care at medical schools and residency programs. As a result they will be more aware and more open toward future information and education about the topic of transplantation.

Research
The State University of New York at Buffalo has been retained to provide quantitative research related to the goals, funded by HRSA grant #5R39OT05404-02-00.

Funding
The Health Resources and Services Administration awarded a grant (#5R39OT05404-02-00) in 2005 to a consortium of the New York Alliance for Donation and State University of New York at Buffalo to conduct research related to the goals and purpose. The grant runs through 2008.

For more detailed information on the project contact Lynette M. Stark, Executive Director or Joan Kruegler, Project Manager..