| Families of individuals who decide to donate their | | | | the legal next-of-kin. |
| organs often find that it helps them through their | | | | |
| grieving process. They receive great comfort | | | | - Financial incentives for signing up to be a donor. |
| from the knowledge that something positive | | | | |
| came from the death of their loved one. | | | | - A "dissent solution" (or way of |
| | | | | “opting-out”) in which a potential donor or |
| For recipients of donated organs, organ | | | | his/her relatives must take specific action to be |
| transplants offer a second chance at life, enabling | | | | excluded from organ donation, rather than specific |
| both them and their families to maintain a higher | | | | action to be included. |
| quality of life. Even the hope that there is a | | | | |
| possible matching organ donor available can make | | | | - Social incentive programs, wherein members |
| a huge difference in the life of someone that is | | | | sign a legal agreement to direct their organs first |
| suffering from a serious illness. | | | | to other members who are on the transplant |
| | | | | waiting list. |
| In the United States, the waiting list is quoted to | | | | |
| be about 96,522 people long for kidney donations, | | | | With increasing regularity, many hospitals employ |
| but only about one third of those patients are | | | | organ network representatives who routinely |
| hopeful of ever receiving a donated organ. | | | | screen patient records to identify potential donors |
| | | | | in advance of their deaths. In some cases, |
| Different organs have different waiting times and | | | | organ-procurement representatives will request |
| success rates because demand is significantly | | | | screening tests or organ-preserving drugs (such |
| different for various organs. Alarmingly, three | | | | as anti-hypertension drugs) to keep potential |
| quarters of patients in need of an organ | | | | donors' organs viable until their suitability for |
| transplant are waiting for a kidney, and as such | | | | transplants can be determined and family consent |
| kidneys have much longer waiting times. | | | | (if needed) can be obtained. |
| | | | | |
| As an example, I’ll point out that at the | | | | This practice increases transplant efficiency, as |
| Oregon Health and Science | | | | potential donors who are unsuitable due to |
| University, the average patient who ultimately | | | | infection or other causes are removed from |
| received an organ waited only three weeks for a | | | | consideration before their deaths, and decreases |
| heart and three months for a pancreas or liver | | | | the avoidable loss of organs. It may also benefit |
| — but 476 days for a kidney, because demand | | | | families indirectly, as the families of unsuitable |
| for kidneys substantially outstrips supply. | | | | donors are not approached to discuss organ |
| | | | | donation. |
| All statistics indicate that there is a huge shortage | | | | |
| of available organs of all types (including tissues) | | | | It can be hard to think about what's going to |
| that could potentially save or drastically improve | | | | happen to your body after you die, let alone |
| an ailing person’s life. | | | | donating your organs and tissue. But being an |
| | | | | organ donor is a charitable and worthwhile decision |
| Approaches to addressing this shortage include: | | | | that can be a lifesaver. |
| | | | | |
| - Donor registries and "primary consent" laws, to | | | | Understanding organ donation can make you feel |
| remove the burden of the donation decision from | | | | better about your choice. |