Comments on: The Great Power of Defaults http://dangerousintersection.org/2007/12/30/the-great-power-of-defaults/ Human Animals at the Crossroads of Culture, Science, Religion and Media Fri, 09 Jan 2009 21:26:59 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.6.5 By: Erich Vieth http://dangerousintersection.org/2007/12/30/the-great-power-of-defaults/#comment-15826 Erich Vieth Tue, 22 Jan 2008 14:28:55 +0000 http://dangerousintersection.org/?p=1979#comment-15826 The UK's organ donor system is in need of an overhaul.   The PM "introduced the idea that perhaps it should be based on presumed consent, where everyone is automatically a donor, and when they die their organs are presumed to be available for donation, unless they opted out while still alive. . . More than 1,000 Britons die every year waiting for a new organ." http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/93864.php The UK’s organ donor system is in need of an overhaul.   The PM “introduced the idea that perhaps it should be based on presumed consent, where everyone is automatically a donor, and when they die their organs are presumed to be available for donation, unless they opted out while still alive. . . More than 1,000 Britons die every year waiting for a new organ.” http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/93864.php

]]> By: Vicki Baker http://dangerousintersection.org/2007/12/30/the-great-power-of-defaults/#comment-15543 Vicki Baker Wed, 02 Jan 2008 20:42:07 +0000 http://dangerousintersection.org/?p=1979#comment-15543 That's okai, Y stylll lyke iou! :-) That’s okai, Y stylll lyke iou! :-)

]]> By: projektleiterin http://dangerousintersection.org/2007/12/30/the-great-power-of-defaults/#comment-15535 projektleiterin Wed, 02 Jan 2008 12:17:08 +0000 http://dangerousintersection.org/?p=1979#comment-15535 Ooops, sorry, Vicki! I really always make an effort to spell people's name right, because I hate that people will always spell mine wrong (or jump to conclusion about what is the first name and what the last name or simply assume I'm a guy). Ooops, sorry, Vicki! I really always make an effort to spell people’s name right, because I hate that people will always spell mine wrong (or jump to conclusion about what is the first name and what the last name or simply assume I’m a guy).

]]> By: Vicki Baker http://dangerousintersection.org/2007/12/30/the-great-power-of-defaults/#comment-15525 Vicki Baker Wed, 02 Jan 2008 03:14:15 +0000 http://dangerousintersection.org/?p=1979#comment-15525 Projektleyterin: whi does everione spell my name with a "y" at the end? :-( Projektleyterin: whi does everione spell my name with a “y” at the end? :-(

]]> By: Dan Klarmann http://dangerousintersection.org/2007/12/30/the-great-power-of-defaults/#comment-15515 Dan Klarmann Tue, 01 Jan 2008 17:33:50 +0000 http://dangerousintersection.org/?p=1979#comment-15515 Here's the Johnson and Goldstein Science Magazine article: <a rel="nofollow" target="_blank" href="http://www.dangoldstein.com/papers/DefaultsScience.pdf">"Defaults Save Lives" (pdf)</a> on Goldstein's own site. Here’s the Johnson and Goldstein Science Magazine article: “Defaults Save Lives” (pdf) on Goldstein’s own site.

]]> By: projektleiterin http://dangerousintersection.org/2007/12/30/the-great-power-of-defaults/#comment-15514 projektleiterin Tue, 01 Jan 2008 16:27:18 +0000 http://dangerousintersection.org/?p=1979#comment-15514 Thanks Vicky for looking it up! Something happened to the link with the pdf though. I'm absolutely surprised about the consent rate of 99%. Or maybe the power of default is indeed very strong. It takes a lot of effort to raise public awareness about the problem with the lack of organs and to get people to register as organ donors. If you didn't do anything the percentage would also probably be quite low. Thanks Vicky for looking it up! Something happened to the link with the pdf though.

I’m absolutely surprised about the consent rate of 99%. Or maybe the power of default is indeed very strong. It takes a lot of effort to raise public awareness about the problem with the lack of organs and to get people to register as organ donors. If you didn’t do anything the percentage would also probably be quite low.

]]> By: Mark Tiedemann http://dangerousintersection.org/2007/12/30/the-great-power-of-defaults/#comment-15493 Mark Tiedemann Sun, 30 Dec 2007 23:18:12 +0000 http://dangerousintersection.org/?p=1979#comment-15493 The cynical way to see this is simple: in the U.S. if it doesn't concern what you're going to do this evening or tomorrow night, most people don't want to be bothered. But I'm not quite that cynical...yet. The cynical way to see this is simple: in the U.S. if it doesn’t concern what you’re going to do this evening or tomorrow night, most people don’t want to be bothered.

But I’m not quite that cynical…yet.

]]> By: Vicki Baker http://dangerousintersection.org/2007/12/30/the-great-power-of-defaults/#comment-15492 Vicki Baker Sun, 30 Dec 2007 19:21:30 +0000 http://dangerousintersection.org/?p=1979#comment-15492 "Austria, Belgium, France, Spain, and a bunch more are opt in; Germany, UK, Denmark, Ireland, and Netherlands are opt out." Scratch that, reverse it: Austria, Belgium, France, Spain, and a bunch more are opt out (default consent); Germany, UK, Denmark, Ireland, and Netherlands are opt in (signed consent form required). “Austria, Belgium, France, Spain, and a bunch more are opt in; Germany, UK, Denmark, Ireland, and Netherlands are opt out.”

Scratch that, reverse it:

Austria, Belgium, France, Spain, and a bunch more are opt out (default consent); Germany, UK, Denmark, Ireland, and Netherlands are opt in (signed consent form required).

]]> By: Vicki Baker http://dangerousintersection.org/2007/12/30/the-great-power-of-defaults/#comment-15491 Vicki Baker Sun, 30 Dec 2007 19:16:19 +0000 http://dangerousintersection.org/?p=1979#comment-15491 OK guys, once we take out religion, can we reform the way the research results are shared with the public? The current system, where actual research is behind subscription firewalls, and the research is publicized by PR hacks who summarize abstracts in a way that is most likely to get coverage (ie sensationalized) and then written up by journalists who may or may not have any background in science or statistics, is just not working. I googled Johnson and Goldstein and found their article right away, but it was behind a subscription wall. However, by adding some more search terms I found this <a> pdf version</a> of the article. The data projektleiterin wants is on p. 2, which has a table of European countries, whether donation is opt in or opt out, and the consent rates. Austria, Belgium, France, Spain, and a bunch more are opt in; Germany, UK, Denmark, Ireland, and Netherlands are opt out. For all the opt-out (default consent) countries, the consent rate is actually over 99%, except for Sweden, which is 91.73. OK guys, once we take out religion, can we reform the way the research results are shared with the public? The current system, where actual research is behind subscription firewalls, and the research is publicized by PR hacks who summarize abstracts in a way that is most likely to get coverage (ie sensationalized) and then written up by journalists who may or may not have any background in science or statistics, is just not working.

I googled Johnson and Goldstein and found their article right away, but it was behind a subscription wall. However, by adding some more search terms I found this pdf version of the article.
The data projektleiterin wants is on p. 2, which has a table of European countries, whether donation is opt in or opt out, and the consent rates. Austria, Belgium, France, Spain, and a bunch more are opt in; Germany, UK, Denmark, Ireland, and Netherlands are opt out. For all the opt-out (default consent) countries, the consent rate is actually over 99%, except for Sweden, which is 91.73.

]]> By: projektleiterin http://dangerousintersection.org/2007/12/30/the-great-power-of-defaults/#comment-15489 projektleiterin Sun, 30 Dec 2007 18:44:12 +0000 http://dangerousintersection.org/?p=1979#comment-15489 Sorry, I don't trust this piece of information at all as you can see. :D Sorry, I don’t trust this piece of information at all as you can see. :D

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