Wednesday, April 29, 2009
Consent for organ donation depends on how you ask
A systematic review published online last week by BMJ looked at whether rates of consent for organ donation could be improved by changing the way the issue is addressed with family members. Families were more likely to consent if they understood the organ donation process and the concept of brain death, and if their loved one was getting high-quality care. Next-of-kin who were asked about organ donation privately and by trained, experienced staff were also more likely to say yes. Last, the study found that it was most helpful to notify family members of death or brain death first, then ask for organs in a separate conversation. None of this seems particularly ground-breaking; most of these "modifiable factors" just seem like common sense. And that appeared to be one of the points the study authors were making: "Targeting these factors might have a greater and more immediate effect on the number of organs for donation than legislative or other long term strategies," they concluded. In other words: no need to reinvent the wheel.
posted by Jennifer Kearney-Strouse at
10:42 AM
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