Abstract
Because the global shortage of blood and organ donors across all medical markets is a serious concern for health care provision, we aim in this study to better understand decisions (not) to participate in these two forms of medical donation, which can save or prolong another’s life. Using unique responses from over 1,000 online survey respondents, we compare the reasons given for the donation decision given by blood and/or registered organ donors versus non-donors. To do so, we categorize responses based on five dimensions of language choice: egocentric (referring to self), social, moral, positively emotional, and negatively emotional. Our results reveal statistically significant differences between blood donors and non-donors in the use of all five categories. With respect to organ donation, we find statistically significant differences between donors and non-donors in the use of social, moral and positive emotional terms but not in the use of egocentric or negatively emotional justifications. Such results suggest that the ‘gift of life’ terminology used universally to market to potential blood and organ donors may only be relevant in the blood donation market and unlikely to incentivize or change organ donation behaviour.
Highlights
The marketing and promotion of medical donation often frames the act as giving ‘the gift of life’, indicating the potential for social capital accrual by the gift giver [1,2,3,4]
Because familiar or standardized terminology is such an important part of health organizations’ communications with potential and existing donors, this study explores key differences in the language that donors and non-donors associated with blood and organ donation
Anonymous data were collected using the Queensland University of Technology (QUT) KeySurvey software between July 13 and September 7, 2017 using an online survey advertised to Terminology difference in donor decision making potential participants primarily via social media
Summary
The marketing and promotion of medical donation often frames the act as giving ‘the gift of life’, indicating the potential for social capital accrual by the gift giver [1,2,3,4]. Not-for-profit, public, and private organisations use this phrase frequently and consistently across all forms of medical donation, blood and organ donation (permission for donation, after death) are very different in their medical, psychological, and socio-cultural implications. The two differ in how individuals give consent and supply their donation, the level of time and physical. Terminology difference in donor decision making investment required for donation, the timing of when a donation can be given (or taken), and, most significantly, their ex-ante and ex-post physical and psychological costs. A gamut of donation literature indicates that even though organizations call continually for such an altruistic and non-reciprocal medical gesture–one that has significant benefits for ‘free-riders’ who ignore such donor appeals— most people do not and never will donate[8,11]
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