Improving the rates of organ donation for transplantation
Intended for healthcare professionals
Art & Science Previous     Next

Improving the rates of organ donation for transplantation

Lily Mercer Staff nurse, Day Surgery Unit, St Thomas’ Hospital, London

Organ donation is a complex and sensitive area. It is complicated by ethical, legal and social factors, as well as differing views about consent. Although organ donation rates have risen, there continues to be a significant gap between organ supply and demand. Despite previous calls for a change to the opt-in consent system used in England, and the move towards presumed or opt-out consent in Wales, the Organ Donation Taskforce rejected any such policy change in England, in favour of improving the infrastructure and systems surrounding organ donation. This article examines the various systems of consent for organ donation and strategies for improving organ donation rates.

Nursing Standard. 27, 26, 35-40. doi: 10.7748/ns2013.02.27.26.35.e7147

Correspondence

lily.mercer@gstt.nhs.uk

Peer review

This article has been subject to double blind peer review

Received: 10 August 2012

Accepted: 08 November 2012

Want to read more?

RCNi-Plus
Already have access? Log in

or

3-month trial offer for £5.25/month

Subscribe today and save 50% on your first three months
RCNi Plus users have full access to the following benefits:
  • Unlimited access to all 10 RCNi Journals
  • RCNi Learning featuring over 175 modules to easily earn CPD time
  • NMC-compliant RCNi Revalidation Portfolio to stay on track with your progress
  • Personalised newsletters tailored to your interests
  • A customisable dashboard with over 200 topics
Subscribe

Alternatively, you can purchase access to this article for the next seven days. Buy now


Are you a student? Our student subscription has content especially for you.
Find out more