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The impact of checking the Australian Organ Donor Register on family consent rates

Hugh O Stephens, David V Pilcher and Helen I Opdam
Med J Aust 2013; 199 (8): . || doi: 10.5694/mja13.10146
Published online: 21 October 2013

To the Editor: Knowledge of the deceased’s wishes and the processes involved in requesting organ donation increases the likelihood of family consenting to donation.1 Australian research has found that many people who register consent for organ donation do not discuss it with family members.2 Others discuss their intentions with their family but choose not to register. Since the Australian Organ and Tissue Donation and Transplantation Authority was established in 2009, extensive resources have gone into raising awareness of organ donation, of which the costs of maintaining the Australian Organ Donor Register (AODR) represent a tiny fraction.


  • 1 Monash University, Melbourne, VIC.
  • 2 The Alfred Hospital, Melbourne, VIC.
  • 3 DonateLife Victoria, Melbourne, VIC.


Correspondence: hugh.stephens@monash.edu

Competing interests:

No relevant disclosures.

  • 1. Siminoff LA, Gordon N, Hewlett J, Arnold RM. Factors influencing families’ consent for donation of solid organs for transplantation. JAMA 2001; 286: 71-77.
  • 2. Newton JD, Burney S, Hay M, Ewing MT. A profile of Australian adults who have discussed their posthumous organ donation wishes with family members. J Health Commun 2010; 15: 470-486.
  • 3. Cook DA, Pilcher DV. Veto or vote? Do Australian families respect a dying person’s wishes by democratic consensus or by absence of objection? Mathematical modeling of consent for organ donation — insights into the decision-making process. Organs Tissues & Cells 2011; 14: 99-105
  • 4. Vincent A, Logan L. Consent for organ donation. Br J Anaesth 2012; 108 Suppl 1: i80-i87.

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