Addressing Informational Constraints to Increase Awareness About Organ Donation

Last registered on April 16, 2024
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Pre-Trial

Trial Information

General Information

Title
Addressing Informational Constraints to Increase Awareness About Organ Donation
RCT ID
AEARCTR-0013280
Initial registration date
April 04, 2024

Initial registration date is when the trial was registered.

It corresponds to when the registration was submitted to the Registry to be reviewed for publication.

First published
April 16, 2024, 11:10 AM EDT

First published corresponds to when the trial was first made public on the Registry after being reviewed.

Locations

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Primary Investigator

Name
Christina Sarah Hauser
Affiliation
European University Institute
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Other Primary Investigator(s)

PI Name
Maleke Fourati
PI Affiliation
Mediterranean Business School
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Additional Trial Information

Status
In development
Start date
2024-04-15
End date
2024-09-16
Keywords
Behavior, Governance, Health
Additional Keywords
Organ donation, awareness
JEL code(s)
I12, I15
Secondary IDs
Prior work
This trial does not extend or rely on any prior RCTs.
Abstract
This study tests the effectiveness of an informational intervention on young Tunisian adults' attitudes towards organ donation and their willingness to register as deceased organ donors. The study is being conducted in collaboration with the Tunisian Center for the Promotion of Organ Transplantation (CNPTO). We will randomly assign classrooms of undergraduate students to a treatment and control condition. The treatment classes will be visited by a representative of the CNPTO who will explain the medical and social significance of organ donation. She will also explain that Islam endorses organ donation as an act of generosity towards others. We will assess the effectiveness of this informational intervention on a set of outcomes which are self-reported by the studentsin an online survey: willingness to become organ donors, knowledge about the medical and administrative procedures, and trust in medical institutions.
External Link(s)

Registration Citation

Citation
Fourati, Maleke and Christina Sarah Hauser. 2024. "Addressing Informational Constraints to Increase Awareness About Organ Donation." AEA RCT Registry. April 16. https://doi.org/10.1257/rct.13280-1.0
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Experimental Details

Interventions

Intervention(s)
The study is being conducted in collaboration with the Tunisian Center for the Promotion of Organ Transplantation (CNPTO). We will randomly assign classrooms of undergraduate students at the Mediterranean School of Business to a treatment and control condition. The treatment classes will be visited by a representative of the CNPTO who will explain the medical and social significance of organ donation. She will also explain that Islam endorses organ donation as an act of generosity towards others. We will assess the effectiveness of this informational intervention on a set of outcomes which are self-reported by the students in an online survey.
Intervention Start Date
2024-04-15
Intervention End Date
2024-09-16

Primary Outcomes

Primary Outcomes (end points)
Our key outcome variables are 1. students' self-reported willingness to become organ donors, 2. intention to add the "donor" status to one's ID card, 3. knowledge about the administrative procedure for declaring one's donor status, 4. knowledge about the medical procedure, 5. trust in medical institutions.
Primary Outcomes (explanation)

Secondary Outcomes

Secondary Outcomes (end points)
In a potential follow-up survey a few months after the intervention, we may inquire whether students have effectively added their donor status to their ID card. Within the study, we will furthermore investigate which reasons make respondents hesitate to add the donor status to their ID card (lack of knowledge about the medical / administrative procedure, religious doubts, fear of family disapproval). These are potential mechanisms which may explain an increased willingness to become organ donors.
Secondary Outcomes (explanation)

Experimental Design

Experimental Design
The study is being conducted in collaboration with the Tunisian Center for the Promotion of Organ Transplantation (CNPTO). We will randomly assign classrooms of undergraduate students at the Mediterranean School of Business to a treatment and control condition. The treatment classes will be visited by a representative of the CNPTO who will explain the medical and social significance of organ donation. She will also explain that Islam endorses organ donation as an act of generosity towards others. We will assess the effectiveness of this informational intervention on a set of outcomes which are self-reported by the studentsin an online survey: willingness to become organ donors and trust in medical institutions.
Experimental Design Details
Not available
Randomization Method
We invited all lecturers who are teaching at MSB on the day of the intervention to participate in the the study. 92% replied positively. We randomly allocated their classrooms to treatment and control in equal proportions using a computer.
Randomization Unit
Our treatment is randomlzed at the classroom level. We expect each classroom to have about 25 students.
Was the treatment clustered?
Yes

Experiment Characteristics

Sample size: planned number of clusters
There are 12 clusters (classrooms).
Sample size: planned number of observations
We expect about 25 students per classroom, hence a total of ca 300 students.
Sample size (or number of clusters) by treatment arms
6 treatment classrooms and 6 control classrooms
Minimum detectable effect size for main outcomes (accounting for sample design and clustering)
Based on a previous nationwide survey, we expect about 56% of 18-29 years old to be willing to become organ donors (standard deviation 0.497). Using this mean and standard deviation and assuming 6 clusters in control and treatment with 25 students each, intra-cluster correlation rho = 0.1, power 80% and significance level 5% for the test, this implies that the minimum detectable effect size is a 29.7 percentage points increase in willingness to become organ donors.
Supporting Documents and Materials
IRB

Institutional Review Boards (IRBs)

IRB Name
Ethics Committee of the European University Institute
IRB Approval Date
2024-04-03
IRB Approval Number
20240227_HAUSER
Analysis Plan

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