Presence in the Media of the Topic "Donation and Transplantation of Organs and Tissues" During the 2005 to 2007 Period in Venezuela as a Strategy to Improve Its Perception in Venezuelan Society

Introduction. Media are main allies to encourage donation and transplantation. We sought to quantify the presence in the media of the topic "Donation and transplantation (D/Tx)" during the period 2005 to 2007 and to determine the relationship between the volume of information issued by the media and indexes related to the topic. Methods. We conducted a systematic recording of the news on the topic of D/Tx in print, radio, and television during 2005 to 2007. Results. There was an increased presence in the media by 100% in 2005 and 2006, and by 200% in 2007. The presence in print media was greater than radio (249 +/- 31.5 vs 131 +/- 5.49; P =.05) or television (249 31.5 vs 92 +/- 7.12; P =.01). We observed a positive correlation between the total number of contacts versus the number of registered volunteer donors (R-2 = 0.9713) and number of contacts versus total number of transplants from cadaveric donors (CTX; R-2 = 0905). The index CTX per million population increased by 30% (2006 vs 2005) and 100% (2007 vs 2005). The percent of family refusals fell from 41% in 2005 to 34% in 2006 and to 31% in 2007. The rate of donors per million population grew steadily from 1.8 in 2005 to 2.3 in 2006, and to 3.6 in 2007. Conclusion. The sustained increase in D/Tx briefing as a strategy of Sistema de Procura de Organos y Tejidos has helped to foster a positive perception that is reflected in the increased rate of donation and transplantation in Venezuela.