Donor Conversation Week 2024: 'Know the facts!'

An IPSOS poll shows that many people still have questions about organ donation. That is why the 'Know the facts' campaign is launching on October 7th during Donor Conversation Week.

The annual campaign week is an initiative of the Dutch Transplant Foundation (NTS). Managing Director Naomi Nathan: “This time we are zooming in on the most common questions and concerns. We are countering these with reliable information and personal stories. So that you know the facts.”

Ignorance about donation

The IPSOS poll shows that by no means all Dutch people know the facts about organ and tissue donation. For example, we are quick to think we are not suitable as a donor. Nearly 1 in 3 think you are unsuitable if you have a (chronic) illness. And half of the respondents think you cannot be an organ donor if you use drugs. Also, only 4% of respondents know that you can still be an organ donor up to the age of 80. Young people in particular do not always appear to be well-informed. Almost half of 18- to 24-year-olds think you are not allowed to be a donor if you have tattoos. In the campaign, the NTS explains the facts: that illness, age, or lifestyle are not necessarily reasons for not being able to donate.

Trust

More than 8 out of 10 Dutch people (83%) trust that a doctor will do everything possible to save someone's life if that person is registered as a donor. 6% have 'little to no trust' in this. “I am a donor, so does a doctor try less hard for me, is sometimes the thought. Those concerns are really not necessary,” explains Thomas Cherpanath, intensivist at Amsterdam UMC. “An entire ICU team of nurses and doctors does everything to give you as a patient the best care. Only when recovery is truly no longer possible do we stop treatment in close consultation with the family. Only then is the Donor Register consulted and organ donation discussed. A doctor therefore always does their utmost, whether you are a donor or not!”

Talking about donation

“To be able to make an appropriate choice in the Donor Register, it is important to be well-informed,” explains NTS director Nathan. “Talking about it also helps. Organ donation is not a very common topic of conversation, but it does concern us all.” That is why the NTS encourages Dutch people to inform themselves well and to normalize talking about organ donation. The annual campaign week is an important moment for this.

*The Ipsos poll was completed by 1200 Dutch people. The study was conducted to be nationally representative in terms of gender, age (18-80), and region.