Organ donation: who holds the key?

All health care providers must share the responsibility for educating health professionals and the lay public about the need for donor organs and the process of donation. PAs should become familiar with the procedures involved, including the protocol for diagnosing brain death, the criteria by which potential organ donors are identified, the maintenance of organs in vitro, and the methods of preserving procured organs for transplantation. PAs are urged to become active in procurement/transplantation programs at their institutions or by working with a procurement agency to establish a program if one does not already exist. In addition, PAs should become familiar with the laws that govern organ donations in their states.