Donor Conversation Week 2024: 'Know how it works!'

An IPSOS poll shows that many people still have questions about organ donation. Therefore, the campaign 'Know how it works' starts on October 7 during Donor Conversation Week.

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

Ignorance about donation

The IPSOS poll shows that far from all Dutch people know the facts about organ and tissue donation. For example, we quickly assume 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 turn out not to be well-informed at all times. 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 how things really are: that illness, age, or lifestyle are not automatically reasons for not being able to donate.

Trust

More than 8 out of 10 Dutch people (83%) are confident 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 confidence' in this. “I am a donor, so does a doctor try less hard for me? is sometimes the thought. Such worries are really unnecessary,” explains Thomas Cherpanath, an intensivist at Amsterdam UMC. “An entire ICU team of nurses and doctors does everything they can 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 does organ donation come up. So a doctor always does their utmost, whether you are a donor or not!”

Talking about donation

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

*The poll by Ipsos was completed by 1,200 Dutch people. The research was distributed nationally to be representative of gender, age (18-80), and region.