Holby City Controversy

I don't watch Holby City, but it seems that a current story about organ donation has generated some bad publicity, after breaching several guidelines, including a donation proceeding after the withdrawal of consent. According to this BBC article, "This is an ongoing story and in the weeks to come viewers will see the main character Mo face up to the fallout of her actions".

Given that relatives of donors often report some comfort (from knowing good came out of their personal tragedy), while those who refuse consent often report regret, I hope viewers see some of this in the later storyline.

Organ Donation Debated on Ciao!

The opt-in/opt-out issue has been selected as 'current debate' (for the latter half of July, so now over) on consumer review/opinion site Ciao. See the entries here. I'm pleased to see that most appear to be in favour - though on closer inspection some are only really in favour of organ donation and are sceptical of opt-out.

The Role of the Family

Just 3-4 weeks ago we (that is, members of my RSE project on organ donation) were discussing the role of the family in decisions over donation - for instance whether next of kind should be able to override the wishes of the deceased individual (in either direction). Now it's national news!

Welsh Assembly Votes on Opt-Out Donation

The BBC reports here. As usual, 'opt out' is conflated with 'presumed consent'. The role of family is also raised - this is technically separate from whether we have an opt in or opt out system, though since family have different effects in each it is relevant.

Donor Registration on Facebook

I was interviewed on Facebook's drive to increase organ donation a couple of times by a Canadian journalist (the results can be found here and here).

I've just seen this report, suggesting that there did seem to be a boost in donation rates following the Facebook initiative. I've not read the actual academic article, but I assume the authors at least attempted to show causation, rather than mere correlation.

RSE Project featured in The Herald

Monday's event on the role of the family in donation decisions is mentioned here. What's not so clear from this brief piece is that the family can override the deceased's wishes in either an opt in or an opt out system. This piece may come across as concerned with an objection to an opt out system, which is not the intention.

Northern Ireland Consults on Opt-Out

Northern Ireland has just launched a public consultation on proposals to switch from an Opt-In to an Opt-Out system. I was particularly pleased to see that the BBC article on this made no mention of 'presumed consent' - an idea that I've criticised elsewhere. Instead, the proposal is put in straightforward terms: it makes donation easier for those who want to donate, while allowing a refusal for those that do not. Notably, however, the proposal is for a 'soft opt-out' in which the next of kin retain a veto: "However, it proposes to make little change to the current key role played by the family in the final decision in relation to donation of organs. A family would still be consulted for additional medical information and asked about any unregistered objection to donation.".