Living Kidney Donation

Posts Tagged ‘opt out system England’

Will an opt-out system law work for England?

Interesting as I have always cited Spain as being a classic example of success with an opt out scheme. They are, after all, the World’s leaders in organ transplant numbers.

Reading this article sounds like had they got the infrastructure in place before the opt out came into play, they may not have needed the opt out. Just my interpretation. I wonder … does  England have as good an infrastructure as Spain? I know some is being put in place, but will it be good enough.

To quote from the article:

Spain is often cited as having the world’s highest nationwide transplant rates and they have an opt-out law. But, upon careful examination, their success is based on other factors. Spain’s law was enacted in 1979, but there was no measurable impact on transplant rates until after 1989, when a strong national organization was established, and significant resources were committed to provide support for highly trained intensive care physicians and nurses in transplant centers. Rafael Matesanz, the director of the Spanish programme since 1989, attributes Spain’s higher organ donation rate to the practice of these highly qualified physicians and nurses who always have a conversation with donors’ families to secure their approval before proceeding with organ removal. [4] While Spain has a legal opt-out system, it functions as an opt-in system, because the family is routinely asked for permission. Wales shifted to an opt-out law in 2015, but the number of organ donations has not increased, over the past two years.

To read the rest of the article click on this link: Will an opt-out organtransplant law work – BMJ

.