Increasing organ donation among the general population would expand the organ supply and improve access to transplantation among minorities. Increasing organ donation by minorities would be especially helpful because genetic similarities within minority groups improve the likelihood of tissue type matches between donors and recipients. We identified several barriers to donation among minorities and developed a 5-minute video addressing these topics. We demonstrated that patrons of the Ohio Bureau of Motor Vehicles who were shown the video prior to getting their driver's licenses were 12% more likely to consent for future donation compared to patrons who did not view the video. However, individually administering the video was labor intensive, and our trial was limited to a single geographic area. Dissemination of successful efficacy trial interventions into widespread practice remains a challenge. We used a theory-driven approach to address impediments to dissemination of our intervention. Specifically, we plan to adapt the video for use with college students, to disseminate the video intervention by linking it to online course enrollment, and to rigorously evaluate its impact. We will conduct a randomized controlled trial involving 6 Ohio universities, 2000 randomly selected students who will form an intervention group, and another 2000 randomly selected students who will form a control group. The video will be automatically linked to online course enrollment for intervention but not control students. We will compare the proportion of intervention and control students who subsequently access their state's electronic donor registry to register as organ donors. Helping college students make informed decisions regarding donation may not only increase organ donation, but also reduce disparities in access to transplantation and serve as a model for dissemination of other successful health disparity interventions.
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