'Awakening Values': Alicante Hospital's Initiative to Raise Awareness Among Students About Organ Donation

On the occasion of World Donor Day, celebrated on June 4th, the Transplant Coordination Service of the Doctor Balmis General University Hospital presents the 'Awakening Values' project, an initiative aimed at informing and raising awareness about organ donation among young people.

This experience, targeted at students in their final years of secondary education, has been piloted in two educational centres within the influence area of the Alicante General Hospital Health Department, IES Gran Vía and IES San Vicente, where the transplant coordinators have expressed their gratitude for the schools' full involvement in the project.

"We are world leaders in organ donation, with nine out of ten families agreeing to donate in our environment. Last year, the Valencian Community achieved a historic record with 305 donors, representing a rate of 57.4 donors per million population, surpassing the target set by the National Transplant Organization (ONT) of 50 donors per million population, and even more remarkable when compared to the European average of 22 donors," recalled Dr. Miguel Perdiguero, head of the Transplant Coordination Service.

"However," noted the doctor, "since the COVID-19 pandemic, we have observed a certain increase in refusals at the national level, reaching 20%. Therefore, 'Awakening Values' was born with the aim of continuing to improve organ donation figures, thinking of patients who need an organ to improve their quality of life or as the only therapeutic option to continue living."

The transplant coordinator nurse, Marian Miralles, explained that when this awareness programme was designed, "we thought we should go to the root, to education, to reach the youngest and show them the importance of knowing and reflecting on these topics, so they are aware of how a simple gesture can save so many lives."

The initial experiences have been very positive. "The teachers noticed that before the activity, less than 20% of the students had considered the importance of donation or discussed it at home. After the activity, half of the students have already talked about it in their environment (parents, friends, etc.) and show a favourable opinion towards donation," emphasised Dr. Perdiguero.

The activity developed in the institutes begins with a reading animation based on the story 'Named Mariola', presented last year by the Transplant Coordination Service, which addresses the topic of paediatric donation.

Subsequently, short explanatory videos about organ donation are used, and the importance of knowing the basic measures of cardiopulmonary resuscitation and how to act in emergency situations is also worked on.

A fundamental part involves group dynamics, where students work alongside the Transplant Coordination Team on concepts of anatomy, biology, team management, communication, and emotional work.

"The activity concludes with a presentation by the students showing the concepts learned during the session, and the whole group participates in a role play, where they train all the phases that occur in the donation process, from an immersive point of view, so they can empathise with the feelings of each of the people experiencing this process: some act as donors, others as their family, others as the recipient, their environment, and also the healthcare staff and transplant coordinators, to experience what it means to work with people going through this complex moment," detailed Miralles.

The activity also involves collaboration with the Alicante Association for the Fight Against Kidney Diseases (ALCER Alicante) and the Association of Liver Patients and Transplants of the Valencian Community (AETHCV). Transplanted patients share their experiences with the young people, generating enriching debates.

In short, "it is an activity that brings the concept of organ donation closer to a young audience, who may initially be disconnected from this reality, but who will be the society of tomorrow. With this, we aim to continue fostering this cultural wealth that organ donation represents in our country," concluded the coordinators.

The Doctor Balmis Hospital has strengthened the Controlled Asystole Donation (DAC) programme over the past year with the incorporation of a mobile ECMO team to support and assist donations from hospitals in the province of Alicante.

Thus, throughout 2024, 40 procedures have been carried out, 17 in Alicante and 23 in various hospitals across the province, with a donation efficiency exceeding 90%. This means that almost 50% of donations are currently made in this context.

Considering the different types of donation, last year the centre recorded 37 donors and a total of 92 donors in the province, 49 in brain death, 3 living donations, and 38 through the adjustment of life support treatment.