Published 20 May 2009, doi:10.1136/bmj.b2013
Cite this as: BMJ 2009;338:b2013

Letters

Barriers to organ donation

Improve staff infrastructure

The first 100% of the full text of this article appears below.

In the United States, where most of the studies in Simpkin and colleagues’ systematic review were performed,1 a protocol for identifying potential organ donors and a procedure for trained staff to request organ donation when a patient meets the criteria (death or brain death) are legal requirements.

Consent rates were higher when the request was made by staff from the organ procurement organisation or transplant centre with the hospital staff.1 In the United Kingdom inhouse transplant coordinators, who have the expertise in gaining consent, have thus become embedded in intensive care units. However, most requests for organ donation are still performed by hospital staff who are pressed for time and have little formal training in this area. Until training and support for hospital staff is improved nationally, organ donation rates are unlikely to change.

Cite this as: BMJ 2009;338:b2013

Jacquelyn K Lewin, SpR, anaesthesia1

1 University Hospital of North Staffordshire, Stoke on Trent ST4 7LN

jackielewin@yahoo.com

Competing interests: None declared.

  1. Simpkin A, Robertson L, Barber V, Young J. Modifiable factors influencing relatives’ decision to offer organ donation: systematic review. BMJ 2009;339:b991. (21 April.)

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