Family conversations about organ donation

Abstract

Most respondents who were willing to donate their organs had not talked with their families about their donation wishes. Conversations that did occur were typically about the patient's donation wishes and moral and altruistic reasons for donation, or included a story about donation. These approaches, as well as talking about the reasons for wishing to donate, were associated with positive responses from family members, whereas discussing fears about being declared dead prematurely or about the medical establishment were associated with negative responses.

A test of three interventions to promote people's communication of their consent for organ donation

“…Alternatively, a greater focus on coping planning may be effective to address barriers to discussing donation wishes (e.g., having to justify the donation decision, creating family conflict, not knowing what to say; Thompson et al, 2004); however, the current study design precludes definitive conclusions. attitudes and norms for donation may feel more confident to share donation wishes.…”

“…Intentions alone may not be sufficient to ensure behaviour occurs, particularly in situations where the individual anticipates difficulty performing behaviour. For instance, during a conversation with family about organ donation, an individual may encounter a difference in opinion, a challenge to justify his or her decision, or a question he or she cannot answer (e.g., Thompson, Robinson, & Kenny, 2004). Furthermore, forgetfulness, laziness, or lack of motivation are reasons cited by individuals who have not communicated their donation wishes (e.g., Hyde & White, 2007).These experiences serve as barriers to continuing a productive discussion or to joining the organ donation registry which may prevent an individual from expressing his or her consent fully.…”

The Instability of Organ Donation Decisions by Next-of-Kin and Factors That Predict It

“…However, the daughter came to regret her decision because she feared that she had not supported her mother's true donation intentions. Recently, we reported that family disagreement about organ donation was more likely when the deceased's donation intentions were not known (11) and that such conflict could be attenuated by encouraging families to discuss organ donation before such decisions must be made (12)(13)(14)(15). Together, these findings underscore the critical im-portance of discussing organ donation with others so that family members can feel more confident that the decision being made is consistent with the deceased's intentions, whether formally documented or not.…”

Communication prompts donation: Exploring the beliefs underlying registration and discussion of the organ donation decision

“…implementation intentions; Gollwitzer, 1999) may act as cues to behavioural performance and serve to motivate decision registration. It may also be beneficial to focus on identified motivators, including media exposure of the issue, given that media stories or advertisements can function to remind or prompt individuals to communicate their donation decision (Thompson et al , 2004; Vincent, 2006). The use of motivational stories in the media, combined with increasing knowledge about the process of organ donation and providing details about the types of people who need and receive organ transplants may also help to clarify organ donation decisions for those participants who are uncertain about their preference.…”

“…Brug, Van Vugt, Van Den Borne, Brouwers, & Van Hooff, 2000; Kopfman & Smith, 1996; Morgan & Miller, 2002; Radecki & Jaccard, 1999). Negative beliefs about discussing donation wishes include the perceived reluctance or objection of family members to talk, a lack of knowledge about organ donation, having to defend the donation decision to family, difficulty starting the conversation, and talking about the death of one's self and important others (Breitkopf, 2006; Hyde & White, 2007; Morgan, 2004; Vincent, 2006; Thompson, Robinson, & Kenny, 2004; Waldrop, Tamburlin, Thompson, & Simon, 2004).…”