Factors relating to consent for organ donation: prospective data on potential organ donors

Background Obtaining family consent to organ donation is a significant obstacle to improving further Australian deceased organ donation rates. Currently, neither the consent rates for donors eligible to donate after circulatory death, nor factors that influence decision to decline or consent to dona...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Internal medicine journal 2015-01, Vol.45 (1), p.40-47
Main Authors: Marck, C. H., Neate, S. L., Skinner, M. R., Dwyer, B. M., Hickey, B. B., D'Costa, R., Weiland, T. J., Jelinek, G. A.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Aged
brain death
circulatory death
consent
Culture
Decision Making
Family - psychology
Female
Humans
Male
Middle Aged
organ transplantation
prospective audit
Prospective Studies
Tissue and Organ Procurement - trends
Tissue Donors
Victoria
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Summary:Background Obtaining family consent to organ donation is a significant obstacle to improving further Australian deceased organ donation rates. Currently, neither the consent rates for donors eligible to donate after circulatory death, nor factors that influence decision to decline or consent to donation in general are known in Australia. Methods This study at four university teaching hospitals in Melbourne, Victoria, examined consecutive patients where organ donation was discussed with the family Results A total of 123 cases were identified; the family consent rate was 52.8%, and 34.1% proceeded to donation. Consent to donation was related to potential donor factors such as country of birth, cultural background in Australia, a non‐religious or Christian background and registration on the Australian Organ Donor Register. Family‐related factors included being English speaking and having knowledge of the deceased's wishes about organ donation. Family of donation after circulatory death‐eligible donors were less likely to consent to donation than the family of donation after brain death‐eligible donors, although not reaching statistical significance. Among consented potential donors, those eligible for donation after brain death and with a shorter length of stay were more likely to proceed to donating organs for transplantation. Conclusion Despite a small sample size, these findings describe current consent and donation rates and associated factors and may assist in improving conversations about organ donation.
ISSN:1444-0903
1445-5994
DOI:10.1111/imj.12628