Background: The demand for organ donation is increasing worldwide. One possible way of increasing the pool of potential posthumous donors is to encourage more members of the general public to join an organ donor registry.
Objective: A systematic review was conducted to investigate the effectiveness of psychological interventions designed to increase the number of individuals in the community who register as organ donors.
Methods: PsycINFO and PubMed databases were searched. No date limits were set. Randomized and nonrandomized controlled trials exploring the effects of community-based interventions on organ donor registration rates were included. Methodological quality was assessed using the "Quality Assessment Tool for Quantitative Studies."
Results: Twenty-four studies met the inclusion criteria; 19 studies found a positive intervention effect on registration. Only 8 studies were assessed as having reasonable methodological robustness. A narrative synthesis was conducted. Factors influencing registration rates include providing an immediate registration opportunity and using brief interventions to challenge misconceptions and concerns about organ donation.
Discussion: Community-based interventions can be effective at increasing organ donor registrations among the general public. Factors that may increase effectiveness include brief interventions to address concerns and providing an immediate registration opportunity. Particular consideration should be paid to the fidelity of intervention delivery. Protocol registration number: CRD42014012975.
Keywords: behavior change interventions; donor registration; organ donation; psychological interventions; systematic review.