Reason for shortage of organ donation

Reported by Susan Aldridge, PhD, medical journalist

The biggest obstacle to organ donation in Britain is the number of relatives refusing consent.
The UK, like most other countries, has a serious shortage of organs for transplantation. The donor rate was 12.3 per million in 2004; in Spain, the corresponding figure is 33 per million but in most other European countries the figure is between 13 and 22 per million.

Researchers at UK Transplant have been trying to find the underlying reasons for the shortfall in organ donation. They reviewed deaths in intensive care all across the UK and talked to families of 94 per cent of the patients who could have been organ donors. They found that 41 per cent of families had denied consent to the organs being used.

Reasons given included not liking the idea of surgery on the body, not being sure if the patient would have agreed and not agreeing as a family whether to go ahead. Although age and sex of the potential donor did not affect the decision, families of ethnic minority donors were more likely to refuse consent than those of white donors. The researchers conclude that family refusals are the biggest obstacle to improving the supply of donor organs. This, however, may change with the introduction of the Human Tissue Act in September this year, which stresses the wishes and consent of the individual.

Source
British Medical Journal 13th May 2006 Volume 332 pages 1124-1126