Improving relatives' consent to organ donation

doi:10.1136/bmj.b701

Published 21 April 2009, doi:10.1136/bmj.b701
Cite this as: BMJ 2009;338:b701

Editorials

Improving relatives’ consent to organ donation

Most factors involved in the process can be modified to increasesuccess

The first 150 words of the full text of this article appear below.

Obtaining consent from families for organ donation is the mostimportant element of a successful transplant programme. In arecent large study of donor and non-donor families, 57% of familieswere predisposed to donate, 17% were unsure, and 25% were notin favour.¹ The challenge is to secure consent from those peoplewho are predisposed to donate, convert a substantial proportionof those who are unsure, and convert a smaller proportion ofthose who are initially not in favour. In the right circumstancesthis approach can achieve an 80% consent rate.

In the linked systematic review (doi:10.1136/bmj.b991), Simpkinand colleagues identify modifiable factors that influence relatives’decisions to allow organ donation. They conclude that modifyingthe process of requesting consent may be the best way to increaseorgan donation rates in the United Kingdom.² In a review publishedin the BMJ earlier this year, Rithalia and colleagues assess. . . [Full text of this article]

Teresa J Shafer, executive vice president and chief operating officer

¹ LifeGift Organ Donation Center, Fort Worth, TX 76107, USA

tshafer@lifegift.org

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This article has been cited by other articles:

Koschack, J. (2009). Informed choice, not coercion. BMJ 339: b4511-b4511 [Full text]
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Rapid Responses:

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Improving relatives� consent to organ donation is it simple task?: Mohamad Said Maani Takrouri
bmj.com, 25 Apr 2009 [Full text]
Increasing rates of acceptance does not equal �improving consent�: Tom P Hayes
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