69% say yes so why are we falling behind?
Monday, 09 November, 2015
Roughly 1,600 people are currently on waiting lists to receive an organ transplant in Australia. But for many, the wait will be unsuccessful due to the low number of donors.
One organ and tissue donor can transform the lives of 10 or more people. Australia was once a world leader in organ donations, but today our organ donation rate is lower than much of the developed world. This conflicts with our willingness to donate. The majority of Australians are generally willing to become organ and tissue donors (69%). Still, the country ranks 20th in the world for donations and sits below world leaders such as Spain, Belgium, France and the USA.
One of the barriers to donation is familial consent. In Australia the family of every potential donor will be asked to confirm the donation decision of their loved one before donation can proceed. Only 36% of Australians feel confident they know the donation decisions of their loved ones. The most important thing that helps a family's decision is their knowing the donation decision of their loved one. So the take home message is ‘let your family know your wishes’.
To lift donation rates the Australian Government, with State and Territory Governments, has implemented a national reform programme, 'A World's Best Practice Approach to Organ and Tissue Donation for Transplantation'. The national reform programme includes actions to increase clinical capacity and capability and to increase community engagement and awareness in relation to organ and tissue donation.
Australia’s approach is to focus on signing up more people to be donors and on encouraging families to consent to donation after the death of a relative. But if Australia wants to be world-leading, that’s not enough.
References:
The conversation - read the full story here.
Facts and Statistics Organ and Tissue Authority - Australian Government.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=92UCEJE0FWk
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