Abstract
BackgroundThere is a worldwide shortage of donor organs for transplantation. To overcome this, several countries have introduced an opt-out donor consent system. This system, soon planned for Scotland and England means individuals are automatically deemed to consent for organ donation unless they register an opt-out decision. This study was designed to explore the reasons underpinning donor choices for people who plan to actively opt-in to the register, take no action and be on the register via deemed consent, opt-out, and those who are unsure of their decision.MethodsThis study reports the analysis of free-text responses obtained from a large survey of intentions towards opt-out legislation in Scotland, England and Northern Ireland (n = 1202). Of the n = 1202 participants who completed the questionnaire, n = 923 provided a free text response explaining their views. Thematic analysis was used to explore the reasons why participants plan to: opt-in (n = 646), follow deemed consent (n = 205), opt-out (n = 32) and those who were not sure (n = 40).ResultsA key theme for people planning to opt-in is that it ensures one’s donor choice is explicitly clear and unequivocal. Some regarded deemed consent as unclear and open to ambiguity, thus actively opting-in was viewed as a way of protecting against family uncertainty and interference. For the deemed consent group, a key theme is that it represents a simple effortless choice. This is important from both a pragmatic time-saving point of view and because it protects ambivalent participants from making a challenging emotive choice about organ donation. Key themes for those planning to opt-out relate to fears around medical mistrust and bodily integrity. Notably, both participants who plan to opt-out and opt-in perceived presumed consent as “authoritarian” and a method of increasing Government control of organs. In response, registering an active decision protected their freedom of choice.ConclusionsThe findings highlight the importance of registering deliberate active consent for people who choose opt-in, due to concerns over possible family refusal under deemed consent. These findings could inform the development of communication campaigns that encourage family communication before the implementation of opt-out legislation.
Highlights
There is a worldwide shortage of donor organs for transplantation
To overcome the shortage of organ donors, several countries have changed organ donation laws and introduced an opt-out system of consent. This legislative change removes the requirement for individuals to actively sign-up and join the organ donor register (ODR)
An opt-out system follows deemed consent; meaning that if no active donor decision has been registered, individuals are automatically deemed to consent for organ donation
Summary
Several countries have introduced an opt-out donor consent system This system, soon planned for Scotland and England means individuals are automatically deemed to consent for organ donation unless they register an opt-out decision. To overcome the shortage of organ donors, several countries have changed organ donation laws and introduced an opt-out system of consent This legislative change removes the requirement for individuals to actively sign-up and join the organ donor register (ODR). An opt-out system will enable consent for donation to be deemed without the need for people to action an intention to donate [2] The rationale behind this system is that it should bridge the gap between the publics’ largely favourable intentions towards organ donation and inaction, increasing the pool of potential donors. This is notably heightened for individuals from Black, Asian and minority ethnic backgrounds (BAME), where family refusal rates for donation increase to 58%
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