Why families deny consent to organ donation

Advances in medical practice and technology and the success of organ transplantation over the past 2 decades have resulted in an increased demand for organ donors. However, the health care community and organ procurement organisations (OPO) are faced with a worldwide shortage of donor organs. The non-consent of families is the most common reason that organs of medically suitable potential donors are not recovered. A review of published research post 1990 was conducted to primarily determine the major factors that influence a family's decision to deny consent to donation. Other objectives included providing suggestions for health care personnel to facilitate the donation request experience and to suggest strategies that would increase donation consent rates to benefit the organ procurement process. Databases predominately used in the review included CINAHL and Medline. The world wide web (www) was also accessed. The literature review indicates that the significant factors associated with denial of consent include: the misunderstanding of brain death; cultural beliefs; the specific timing of the request; the setting in which the request is made; the approach of the individual making the request; and characteristics of the deceased. Organ donation and transplantation rates could be increased by the joint involvement of medical, nursing and OPO personnel to enhance the quality of hospital care and to ensure that requests for donation are handled in a way that meets the family's informational and emotional needs. Increased consent rates have the potential to save lives and improve the quality of life for organ recipients.