COLLOBORATING INSTITUTIONS
New York Alliance for Donation, Inc – Albany, NY. TBA, Principal Investigator 99 Troy Road, Suite 200, East Greenbush, NY 12061; 518-533-7878; FAX 518-533-7870; www.alliancefordonation.org
University at Buffalo, State University of New York at Buffalo – Buffalo, NY. Thomas Feeley, PhD, Principal Researcher, School of Informatics and School of Medicine; Judith Tamburlin, PhD, Director of Instruction, School of Medicine

PROJECT FOCUS
Project Goal: To increase organ and tissue donation registry rates coupled with family notification by 20% in a sample of medical students and medical residents training in New York State.

Objective #1: To shape 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 for 1st and 2nd year students and/or clerkships for 3rd and 4th year students .

Objective #2: To educate medical residents in all areas, including 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.

Research Question #1: What are medical students and medical residents’ reservations about communication about organ and tissue donation?

Research Question #2: What are the major knowledge gaps or misconceptions in medical trainees with respect to organ and tissue transplantation?

Research Question #3: What educational innovations are more effective in increasing declaration of consent rates in a sample of medical trainees in New York State?

PROJECT SITES & PROPOSED INTERVENTION
Settings & Participants: Medical students and residents in surgery, emergency medicine, neurology or primary care will be exposed to one or several educational intervention(s) designed to educate and promote organ and tissue donation (OTD). The number of medical schools participating will be 2 pilot schools in project year 1, 3 pilot schools in year 2 and 3 pilot schools in project year 3. Medical schools (there are 12 in NYS) and residencies in New York State will serve as project sites. Intervention: Residents will view and react to a professionally produced online learning module or in person lecture of the online module created by grant staff. Medical students will respond to questions about organ and tissue donation posed by standardized patients. Students will also be exposed to lectures, small group discussion, and online learning designed to promote active learning on the part of the student about OTD. Outcome Measures: The dependent measure is the percentage of students and residents who enroll in the state registry and have their enrollment verified by next-of-kin. The independent variables include students’ level of self-efficacy about OTD (communication and coping related to OTD) and type of educational intervention (information provided and educational medium). Project Impact: Supports the Healthy People 2010 goal of using communication strategically to improve health by demonstrating the value and logistics of including OTD education in medical school and residency curricula.