GMC is to instruct all GPs to talk to dying patients about organ donation

doi:10.1136/bmj.b3578

Published 2 September 2009, doi:10.1136/bmj.b3578
Cite this as: BMJ 2009;339:b3578

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GMC is to instruct all GPs to talk to dying patients about organ donation

Mark Gould

¹ London

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

The General Medical Council is to tell GPs that they shouldinitiate discussions with dying patients and their relativesabout organ donation in a bid to cut the United Kingdom’schronic shortage of donor organs.

Revised guidance from the GMC on care at the end of life, dueto be published in January, is expected to feature a clauseobliging all doctors to raise the question of organ donationwith appropriate patients.

A recent GMC consultation on revising its guidance on end oflife care saw wide support for measures to encourage more peopleto join the organ donor register. "The consultation revealedthat we shouldn’t leave it to ITU [intensive treatmentunit] doctors to have this conversation with patients or relatives,"a spokesperson said.

Last year a government commissioned taskforce on organ donationsaid that the whole of the NHS, not just specialist transplantationteams or casualty staff, should . . . [Full text of this article]

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