File(s) not publicly available
Respecting wishes and avoiding conflict: understanding the ethical basis for organ donation and retrieval
Many people care deeply about what happens to their own and their loved ones' bodies after death. It is therefore important to capture individuals' wishes and ensure that they are respected as far as practically possible. At the same time, healthcare professionals need to feel confident that they are morally entitled to do what they need to do to ensure that someone's wishes are fulfilled. This article explores the decision to donate one's organs after death. It attempts to reconcile the way in which people are required to express their wish to donate organs with the need to reassure and support the professionals, who will care for them if they become potential donors. Current donor registration processes leave some professionals feeling that donors have not consented in the usual manner to procedures, which might be necessary before death. It is suggested that this issue could be addressed without imposing information overload on prospective donors, by changing the way in which the wish to donate is understood and expressed.
History
Publication status
- Published
Journal
British Journal of AnaesthesiaISSN
1471-6771Publisher
Oxford University PressExternal DOI
Issue
S1Volume
108Page range
i73-i79Department affiliated with
- Clinical and Experimental Medicine Publications
Full text available
- No
Peer reviewed?
- Yes
Legacy Posted Date
2012-11-01Usage metrics
Categories
No categories selectedKeywords
Licence
Exports
RefWorks
BibTeX
Ref. manager
Endnote
DataCite
NLM
DC