title: Effectiveness of Organ Donation Information Campaigns in Germany: A Facebook Based Online Survey.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The German transplantation system is in a crisis due to a lack of donor organs. Information campaigns are one of the main approaches to increase organ donation rates. Since 2012, German health insurance funds are obliged by law to inform their members about organ donation. We raised the hypothesis: The willingness to sign a donor card rises due to the subsequent increase of specific knowledge by receiving the information material of the health insurance funds.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  The objective of the study was to assess the influence of information campaigns on the specific knowledge and the willingness to donate organs.
  
  
  METHODS
  We conducted an online survey based on recruitment via Facebook groups, advertisements using the snowball effect, and on mailing lists of medical faculties in Germany. Besides the demographic data, the willingness to hold an organ donor card was investigated. Specific knowledge regarding transplantation was explored using five factual questions resulting in a specific knowledge score.
  
  
  RESULTS
  We recruited a total of 2484 participants, of which 32.7% (300/917) had received information material. Mean age was 29.9 (SD 11.0, median 26.0). There were 65.81% (1594/2422) of the participants that were female. The mean knowledge score was 3.28 of a possible 5.00 (SD 1.1, median 3.0). Holding a donor card was associated with specific knowledge (P<.001), but not with the general education level (P=.155). Receiving information material was related to holding a donor card (P<.001), but not to a relevant increase in specific knowledge (difference in mean knowledge score 3.20 to 3.48, P=.006). The specific knowledge score and the percentage of organ donor card holders showed a linear association (P<.001).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The information campaign was not associated with a relevant increase in specific knowledge, but with an increased rate in organ donor card holders. This effect is most likely related to the feeling of being informed, together with an easy access to the organ donor card.
authors.affiliation: Experimental Transplantation Surgery, Department of General, Visceral and Vascular Surgery, University Hospital Jena, Jena, Germany.
authors.forename: Tobias
authors.identifier: http://orcid.org/0000-0003-3148-0724
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Terbonssen
authors.forename: Utz
authors.identifier: http://orcid.org/0000-0002-7480-3629
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Settmacher
authors.forename: Christine
authors.identifier: http://orcid.org/0000-0002-9488-4374
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Wurst
authors.forename: Olaf
authors.identifier: http://orcid.org/0000-0003-2791-2061
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Dirsch
authors.forename: Uta
authors.identifier: http://orcid.org/0000-0003-3483-3388
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Dahmen
keywords: Germany; education; information campaign; knowledge; organ donation