Identifying and addressing motivators and barriers to organ donation

Challenge

East Indian and Chinese people are less likely to register to donate their organs than others, To meet aggressive registration targets, The Strategic Counsel was engaged to undertake a comprehensive program of research. The client wanted to better understand cultural and other barriers and motivators to registration and/or donation.

Solution

We developed a research program that consisted of interviews with community leaders in the relevant communities. The program includes a survey of Chinese and South Asians, and a series of triads where potential donors could discuss organ donation in a more intimate setting. Together, these research approaches identified the most effective strategies for increasing registration, including which demographic groups to target, as well as the approaches, messaging, incentives, and communications vehicles to use.

Outcome

Communications and outreach efforts were implemented to promote awareness of the registry, overcome potential culture-specific barriers, and help build a sense of urgency for registration. This was done so that any changed attitudes would be acted on immediately. Marketing and communications efforts were targeted to specific segments within the Chinese and East Asian population based on their likelihood to take action in the short, medium and longer term.