Abstract

Organ transplantation is a treatment method that is very sensitive to public opinion. Information regarding misconduct in the recovery and transplant of organs very often leads to a definite decrease in the numbers of operations. In 2007 in Poland, the national media reported numerous controversial transplantation incidents. Directly after these occurrences, the number of transplantations fell sharply. Public opinion worsened as did the level of trust placed in doctors. Social psychology explains the mechanisms responsible for this phenomenon through the notion of cognitive schemata. Their permanence is explained through selective perception, memory and the effect of persistence.

Keywords: Tissue and Organ Procurement, Tissue Donors - supply & distribution, Poland, Mass Media, Transplantation - psychology