Organ Donation Opportunities for Action (2006) / Chapter Skim
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6 Promoting and Facilitating Individual and Family Decisions to Donate
6 Promoting and Facilitating Individual and Family Decisions to Donate
Pages 175-204
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From page 175... ...
. Thus, when the individual's decision regarding organ donation is known in those states (through a donor registry or some other documentation)
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The committee believes that informed choice rather than informed consent should be the standard for public education and other related efforts on organ donation. This is because the decision concerns the disposition of the body after death rather than the survival or the quality of life of a living person.
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Currently, in many situations, the individual's wishes regarding organ donation are not known at the time of his or her death and it is up to the family to make the decision. Additionally, although family members agree to follow the individual's wishes (if they are known)
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From page 178... ...
A Texas law enacted in 1991 required a "yes" or "no" choice regarding donation at the time of driver's license renewal but was repealed in 1997 because of concerns regarding a lack of public education (Herz, 1999) , as drivers often confronted the organ donation decision for the first time at the time of their driver's license renewal.
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. Counteracting that tendency would require extensive public education about the common interest that all Americans have in organ donation.
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A policy of mandated choice might be met with resistance because family consent would no longer be an important element of organ donation (Klassen and Klassen, 1996)
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to choose to donate organs after death. Preliminary data from the 2005 National Survey of Organ Donation show that 53.5 percent of respondents indicated that they had declared an intention to be an organ donor by designating it on a driver's license, 29.3 percent had a donor card, and 14.3 percent had signed up to be on a donor registry1 (Wells, 2005)
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Honoring Donor Consent Until recently, the deceased individual's preference for organ donation, as designated on a driver's license, a signed donor card, or a state donor
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Such elective decision making also facilitates the provision of culturally sensitive information about organ donation so that enough information is available for an individual to make an informed choice. The decisions should be binding on others (albeit easily changeable by the individual during his or her lifetime)
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A driver's license may be located by law enforcement and made available to healthcare personnel at the time of a tragedy. However, the value of designating organ donation at the time of driver's license registration or renewal is that in most states the state department of motor vehicles uploads that data directly into the state's online organ donor registry, thereby making it readily accessible to relevant OPO and healthcare personnel.
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From page 185... ...
. Donor Registries Rapid and secure access to an individual's decision regarding organ donation is important for the OPO and hospital personnel involved in organ donation.
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. It is important to acknowledge that donor registration is not the primary mission of the department of motor vehicles; accordingly, collaborative efforts and funding that support the training of department of motor vehicles staff and that provide educational materials on organ donation are important and should be strengthened.
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or as a routine part of primary care office visits have also been proposed as a means to identify patient preferences and potential organ donors. For this to be a viable option, however, all patients would need to have access to primary healthcare practitioners who are skilled and knowledgeable about basic palliative care therapies and the option for organ donation.
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From page 188... ...
A number of states provide information on organ donation in their driver's education curricula. The insights provided by individuals who are transplant recipients or family members of donors are particularly valuable in depicting the personal realities of the impact of donation decisions.
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From page 189... ...
However, myths, misinformation, and uncertainties about organ donation and transplantation continue to abound. The challenges for public education center on both the complex nature of the information that needs to be conveyed and the need to dispel misperceptions about organ transplantation (Box 6-2)
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Organ donation can be considered only after death has been declared by a physician. Many states have adopted legislation allowing individuals to legally indicate their wish to be a donor should death occur, although in some states, OPOs also seek consent from the donor's family.
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Myth: Organ donation disfigures the body and changes the way it looks in a casket. Fact: Donated organs are removed surgically, in a routine operation similar to that for gallbladder or appendix removal.
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However, media portrayals often perpetuate myths about organ donation and allocation (Morgan et al., 2005)
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. Workplace Efforts Some attempts have been made to provide public education on organ donation through employers and employee healthcare sources.
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The collaboration and linkages between state department of motor vehicles offices and the transplantation and healthcare communities have played important roles in increasing the numbers of registrants in donor registries and in providing an avenue for public education regarding donation. Efforts are needed to continue to increase the cultural sensitivity of organ donation educational materials, clarify the options regarding consent for organ and tissue donation on driver's license forms, and continue the promotion of decisions regarding organ donation.
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From page 195... ...
Community Grassroots Efforts and Minority Populations Community grassroots efforts focused on public education are important to increasing rates of organ donation. These efforts are particularly valuable when the community does its own strategic planning, implementation, and problem resolution because it can better address the issues, concerns, and topics of interest to the particular ethnic, cultural, or religious groups in that community.
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From page 196... ...
. The focus group determined that the most effective communicators of information to potential donors would be individuals who shared a similar ethnicity and a similar set of cultural values with potential donors; individuals who conducted face-toface dialogues with community members; and transplant recipients, potential recipients, donors, and donor families, along with healthcare professionals.
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From page 197... ...
Hispanics on ways to initiate discussions on organ donation. The use of kiosks with information on organ donation was identified as a potentially effective strategy, outweighing appeals via computer or the U.S.
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From page 198... ...
. There is a need to provide information that will address specific issues of concern and dispel myths regarding organ donation.
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Public education about organ donation should emphasize that all members of society have a common interest in an adequate supply of organs because all are potential recipients as well as potential donors. Each individual should have multiple opportunities to learn about organ donation and to express his or her desire to donate.
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From page 200... ...
State governments (including departments of motor vehicles) , OPOs, and HRSA should work together to: · ensure full access to and sharing of donor registration data; · ensure that a nationwide networked system of registries that identifies self-declared organ donors is readily accessible to OPOs and healthcare professionals on a 24-hour-a-day basis, and is up dated daily.
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2005. Transplantation and organ donation.
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1996. Who are the donors in organ donation?
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1995. Mandated choice: A plan to increase public commitment to organ donation.
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