Encouraging organ donor registration: testing the impact of ‘nudge’ and ‘think’ strategies

Description/Abstract

Introduction: while there is broad support for the principle of organ donation in the UK, only around 25% of citizens are registered donors and there has been recent debate over how to increase this figure. The proposed studies will simulate contrasting public policy interventions aimed at encouraging organ donor registration, comparing the effectiveness of ‘nudge’ and ‘think’ strategies (Thaler and Sunstein, 2008; John et al., forthcoming).

Methods: two post-test only randomized controlled trials will be carried out amongst students in a higher education institution.
In study 1, students attending lectures will be randomized to treatment groups representing either Nudge or a combination of Nudge and Think. Participants in group 1 will be provided with information and asked to complete a questionnaire. Participants in group 2 will take part in deliberation exercise combined with information before completing a questionnaire. A control group will complete the questionnaire only.
Study 2 will test the impact of presumed consent and mandated choice, two types of nudge, as compared to informed consent which reflects the current system. All undergraduate students in the university will be emailed and invited to participate. Participants will be randomly assigned to receive one of three questionnaires reflecting these contrasting systems.
The main outcome measure will be numbers joining the organ donor register. Secondary outcomes will include attitudes towards organ donation and the perceived acceptability of different methods for registering donors