Alleviating the emotional burden on families during organ donation requests in neurologic patients declared with brain death: the role of timing and circumstances of death

Date
2025-03-11
Language
American English
Embargo Lift Date
Committee Members
Degree
Degree Year
Department
Grantor
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Found At
Springer Nature
Can't use the file because of accessibility barriers? Contact us with the title of the item, permanent link, and specifics of your accommodation need.
Abstract

Organ donation requests to families often occur during moments of profound grief and create an emotional burden that is compounded by the varying emotional responses to circumstances surrounding death. These responses, in turn, interact with the timing of the request to influence authorization decisions. Understanding the interplay between timing and circumstances of death is crucial for improving authorization rates and addressing the organ donor shortage. The Organ Retrieval and Collection of Health Information for Donation database was used to identify 3,289 potential donors with neurologic mechanisms of brain death. Multivariate logistic regression with interaction between timing and circumstance was used to estimate authorization rates. Results show no significant differences in authorization for requests made within 12 h of death, regardless of circumstance. However, significant differences in authorization were observed between requests made at the time of brain death and those made 12 or more hours later for natural causes, as well as those at 24 or more hours for homicide, motor vehicle accidents, and non-motor vehicle accidents. These findings indicate that the optimal timing for organ donation requests may depend on the emotional intensity of the situation. While quicker requests may be more effective in less emotionally charged cases, extending the time for families to grieve in highly distressing circumstances does not appear to negatively impact authorization rates. Tailoring the timing of donation requests to the circumstances of death, balancing sensitivity with the need for prompt decision-making, could reduce families' emotional burden, ease pressure in decision-making, and help address the shortage of organ donors.

Description
item.page.description.tableofcontents
item.page.relation.haspart
Cite As
Powla PP, Turaka D, Fakhri F. Alleviating the emotional burden on families during organ donation requests in neurologic patients declared with brain death: the role of timing and circumstances of death. Arch Public Health. 2025;83(1):66. Published 2025 Mar 11. doi:10.1186/s13690-025-01559-7
ISSN
Publisher
Series/Report
Sponsorship
Major
Extent
Identifier
Relation
Journal
Archives of Public Health
Source
PMC
Alternative Title
Type
Article
Number
Volume
Conference Dates
Conference Host
Conference Location
Conference Name
Conference Panel
Conference Secretariat Location
Version
Final published version
Full Text Available at
This item is under embargo {{howLong}}