An Inventory of Deceased Donor Family Care and Contact Between Donor Families and Recipients in 15 European Countries

Families of organ donors play an important role in the deceased organ donation process. The aim of this study was to gain insight into donor family care by creating an inventory of practice in various European countries. A questionnaire about donor family care and contact between donor families and recipients was developed. Representatives of the organ donor professionals of 15 European countries responded (94%). The donor coordinator plays a key role in care for the donor family. All countries provide information about the donation results to the families, although diminished due to privacy laws. Anonymous written contact between donor families and recipients is possible in almost all countries and direct contact in only a few. Remembrance ceremonies exist in most countries. Half of the respondents thought the aftercare could improve. This first inventory shows that differences exist between countries, depending on the organisation of the donation process, the law and the different role of the professionals. Direct contact between donor families and recipients is rarely supported by the donation organisation. To date there has been limited research about the experience of donor family aftercare and we would urge all donation organisations to consider this as a priority area.

Customising Health Literacy Campaigns for Organ Donation and Transplantation

The organ shortage and the increasing demand for organs are universal, worldwide challenges. Health literacy is a powerful tool that can help to increase awareness about organ donation and transplantation on a large scale and to encourage and sustain support for organ donation. The unique perspectives, experiences, and expectations of medical students, renal patients, and hospital administrative staff across the UK, Netherlands, and Spain on the topic of health literacy (HL) campaigns regarding deceased organ donation (DOD) were recorded in a cross-cultural, qualitative study. Focus group discussions enabled participants to express their views on existing HL campaigns and to propose novel pathways for future campaigns.

3D bioprinting in microgravity: An end to organ donor shortages?

Countless lives have been saved with the advent of modern organ transplantation. However, the current shortage of compatible organ donors is limiting the life-saving potential of transplantation. According to the United Network for Organ Sharing, approximately 20 patients die each day in the United States while waiting for a transplant [1]. The discrepancy between supply and demand of organ donors is accentuated by a fundamental ethical dilemma associated with deceased organ donation: one person must die so that another may live [2]. The current viewpoint considers the viability of 3D bioprinting in microgravity as a solution to organ donor shortages. Current alternatives to deceased organ donation, including xenotransplantation and other state-of-the-art bioprinting techniques, are reviewed and compared to bioprinting in microgravity. The limitations of bioprinting within Earth’s gravitational field are also discussed, revealing the need for further research.

Australian Perspectives on Opt-In and Opt-Out Consent Systems for Deceased Organ Donation

Introduction: As many countries change to opt-out systems to address organ shortages, calls for similar reform in Australia persist. Community perspectives on consent systems for donation remain under-researched, therefore Australian perspectives on consent systems and their effectiveness in increasing donation rates were explored. Design: In this descriptive cross-sectional study, participants completed a survey presenting opt-in, soft opt-out, and hard opt-out systems, with corresponding descriptions. Participants chose the system they perceived as most effective and described their reasoning. Results: Participants (N = 509) designated soft opt-out as the most effective system (52.3%; hard opt-out 33.7%; opt-in 13.7%). Those who identified with an ethnic/cultural group or were not registered had greater odds of choosing opt-out. Six themes identified in thematic analysis reflected their reasoning: (1) who decides (individual, shared decision with family); (2) right to choose; (3) acceptability (ethics, fairness); and utility in overcoming barriers for (4) individuals (apathy, awareness, ease of donating, fear/avoidance of death); (5) family (easier family experience, family veto); (6) society (normalizing donation, donation as default, expanding donor pool). Choice and overcoming individual barriers were more frequently endorsed themes for opt-in and opt-out, respectively. Discussion: Results suggested the following insights regarding system effectiveness: uphold/prioritize individual's recorded donation decision above family wishes; involve family in decision making if no donation preference is recorded; retain a register enabling opt-in and opt-out for unequivocal decisions and promoting individual control; and maximize ease of registering. Future research should establish whether systems considered effective are also acceptable to the community to address organ shortages.

Muslim Americans’ Views on Making Organ Donation Decisions in the Department of Motor Vehicles Setting

Introduction: Organ donation-related education is offered, and decisions are made at state Department of Motor Vehicles; however, little is known about Muslim Americans’ attitudes toward these common practices. Research Questions: Are participants comfortable learning about deceased organ donation in the Department of Motor Vehicles setting? Are participants prepared to make deceased organ donation-related decisions at the Department of Motor Vehicles? Design: A survey of Muslim Americans attending an educational workshop at 4 mosques in two US cities. Primary study outcomes were self-reported (a) preparedness to make deceased donation-related decisions and (b) comfort with receiving organ donation education in the license renewal setting. We calculated Pearson product-moment correlations between these primary outcomes and participant characteristics including sociodemographic descriptors, religiosity and religious coping measures, and discrimination measures. Results: Most respondents indicated they were not prepared to make organ donation-related decisions at the Department of Motor Vehicles (79.6%). Preparedness did not vary by age, gender, country of origin or US residency duration, nor by religiosity, negative religious coping, or experiences of discrimination. However, higher scores on positive religious coping were associated with lower ratings of preparedness. A slight majority (58.9%) of respondents were comfortable receiving organ donation education. Conclusions: Muslim Americans are comfortable with learning about organ donation while at the Department of Motor Vehicles but are ill-prepared to make deceased donation-related decisions in the same setting. Further research is required to understand whether changes to the license renewal setting would improve decision-making outcomes in this population.