Transplanting Smiles
We smile when we feel good, when we are happy or excited for good news. But the most important thing about a smile is that it is addressed to another person. With such a simple gesture we share our feelings with others and in 0.01 seconds the brain of the other people has already processed that moment of happiness that makes them smile.
This process often happens when a doctor tells a patient, whose life depends on a transplant, and to his or her family members that there is a hope for a cure. This situation occurs much more in Spain than in any other country in the world thanks to a society increasingly committed to organ donations. As a result, more lives are saved every year.
DTI Foundation and its alumni Community collaborated with a project called Transplanting Smiles, promoted by the Daristoteles production company and sponsored by Chiesi España.
This campaign wanted to thank the health professionals involved in the donation and transplantation of organs for their non-stop work and the society for its generosity through something as simple and beautiful as a smile.
This project helped raise awareness about the importance of organ donation for transplant in Spain through a traveling exhibition that visited 10 transplant hospitals in different parts of the country. The official inauguration of Transplanting Smiles took place on October 16th at the 12 de Octubre Clinical Hospital located in Madrid.
Furthermore, Daristoteles also produced a documentary in which they wanted to tell stories that generated hope and motivation to be able to give a second chance to those people whose life depended on a transplant. It included some of the interviews carried out in the transplant hospitals in which the exhibition had passed and had been performed with healthcare professionals, patients, and donors’ family members.
Ultimately, Transplanting Smiles were those stories of recognition and gratitude to all those people who made Spain one of the best references in donation and transplantation in the world.
Thanks to the healthcare professionals involved in organ donation and transplantation for their non-stop work and the society for its generosity to donate organs. This campaign helped raise social awareness of the importance of organ donation for transplant within the hospitals in Spain.
After the tour through the selected hospitals in Spain was finished, a documentary film was produced, containing some of the interviews performed during the visits through the transplant hospitals. This documentary included emotional stories around organ donation and transplanted patients, health care professionals, and donor’s families.
Moreover, the specific goals of the Transplanting Smiles project were:
- Raise social awareness about organ donation.
- Thank the work of health professionals involved in organ donation and transplantation.
- Thank donors and their families for the opportunity to save the lives of other patients thanks to their donations.
- Give recognition to the medical centers that make Spain the main world reference in solid organ transplantation.
- Transmit the importance of organ donation through the stories of those people involved in the process of donation and transplantation, that is to say, the experiences of patients, family members, doctors, researchers, etc.
The project showed all the work behind the donation and transplant process by the same protagonists that made it possible. In this way, it approached society to transmit that we could all help to save lives.
The Transplanting Smiles exhibition was first presented at the European Society for Organ Transplantation in 2017, which that year took place in Barcelona. Since then, it had been in 10 transplant hospitals around Spain.
2,400 professionals participated in this project to increase society’s awareness of the importance of organ donation for transplant.
Over the course of nine months the Transplanting Smiles exhibitor had gone through the following transplant hospitals:
- Hospital 12 of October (Madrid)
- San Carlos Clinical Hospital (Madrid)
- University Hospital A Coruña (Galicia)
- Hospital del Mar (Barcelona)
- Vall d’Hebron Hospital (Barcelona)
- Virgen del Rocío University Hospital (Seville)
- Marqués de Valdecilla University Hospital (Santander)
- Polytechnic Hospital La Fe (Valencia)
- Hospital Clinic (Barcelona)
- Reina Sofia University Hospital (Córdoba)
Once the tour of the hospitals was over, the documentary’s premiere took place on June 30 at the Goya Theatre in Madrid. In it were shown the testimonies of health professionals, researchers, patients, donors and relatives who have shared their experience with Transplanting Smiles.
Chiesi is a recognized international group with more than 80 years of experience focused on research, which develops and offers innovative value-added pharmaceutical solutions aimed at improving the quality of life of people. This company has a strong focus on research, development, production and the commercialization of innovative medicines in the Respiratory, Neonatology, Rare Disease and Special Care Therapeutic Areas.
Chiesi runs over more than €1,571 million in sales and they are among the top 50 pharmaceutical companies in the world.
The Transplanting Smiles exhibition was mounted at the selected transplant hospital. It was composed of panels that showed relevant information about donation and transplantation in Spain.
The sample stood in the hospital for 5 days, during one of which the inauguration was carried out by the director of the hospital in question, a representative of Chiesi, and another representative of the DTI Foundation.
Throughout the stay in each hospital, the Daristoteles production company interviewed health professionals, researchers, patients, donors, and family members, all of whom were later included in the final documentary of the project.
Inditex: The Big Idea Project
More than 55 people may benefit from the generosity of one person who said yes to donation after death. Although high-impact actions to improve deceased organ donation rate are increasing knowledge and motivation of healthcare professionals, the awareness activities for organ donation addressed to the general population are essencial.
Public mass-media campaigns require a high budget to obtain positive impact; the challenge is to identify actions with high-positive impact and low investment. The workplace has been recognized as an important and useful venue for health campaigns because of the access provided to a large and captive audience.
DTI Foundation carried out the project, “A gift that really matters,” with the collaboration of the Corporate Responsibility Department of Inditex to raise awareness among the Inditex employees of the importance of a healthy lifestyle and strengthen solidarity and altruism values by providing related information on organ donation.
To assess the knowledge concerning organ donation among INDITEX employees, five different regions of the world were chosen. A survey, which contained questions designed to identify attitudes towards organ donation and the level of knowledge in this area, was developed. This helped to compare attitudes towards organ donation in each of the five regions and identify the main causes of negative attitudes towards organ donation. However, the main goal of the project was to improve organ donation knowledge in society.
Evaluating and comparing knowledge and attitudes towards organ donation for transplantation among employees of Inditex was the objective of the project. This research provided relevant data about the awareness of donation and transplantation among Inditex employees.
After finishing the study, it provided a mechanism for how to approach the worksite to promote organ donation for transplantation.
Moreover, Inditex leaders from each country had the following specific goals:
- To measure the impact of an awareness campaign on organ donation in workplaces.
- To assess the knowledge concerning organ donation among the Inditex employees in 5 different regions of the world.
- To compare attitudes towards organ donation in each of the 5 regions.
- To identify the main causes of negative attitudes towards organ donation.
- To improve organ donation knowledge in society.
- To motivate the employees to take part in the project.
- To support and coordinate the informing and awareness raising actions within the company.
- To inform the project coordinators upon the employees’ answers concerning the actions developed.
- To stay in contact with the project coordinators.
The study showed useful information about answers of the worksite in this action. It provided a mechanism about how to approach the worksite to promote organ donation for transplantation.
The first survey’s return rate was 43,28%.
National, regional and local organizations from several countries participated in this project to develop awareness actions in the worksite of each country.
In order to know the information of Inditex employees about donation and transplantation a survey, which contained questions designed to identify attitudes towards organ donation and level of knowledge in this area, was developed in the five countries involved in the project. The responsible of each shop gave the survey to its employees. 2950 surveys were sent to each of the countries.
Once the surveys were completed, each country sent them to DTI Foundation to collect the data and analyze it. Moreover, DTI Foundation encouraged the local organizations to prepare information, such as brochures about donation and transplantation to raise awareness in this field.
The final step of the project was the dissemination of the results and meetings to plan which actions should be taken to reduce the negation rate from families and increase consciousness in society.
Inditex SA is a large Spanish corporation and the world’s largest fashion group. It is made up of almost a hundred companies dealing in activities related to textile design, production and distribution.
Inditex runs over more than 5,402 stores worldwide and owns brands like Massimo Dutti, Bershka, Oysho, Pull and Bear, Stradivarius, Zara or Uterqüe.
A survey, which contained questions designed to identify attitudes towards organ donation and level of knowledge in this area, was developed.
Questions regarding lifestyle and social/demographic characteristics were also requested. The survey could be accessed by internet. The survey was administrated to Inditex employees from Germany, Mexico, Spain, Russia and Turkey.
The 2.700 subjects were chosen using a random, stratified method. The survey was distributed before and after performing awareness actions. Comparatives analysis were performed.
