Increasing organ donation by presumed consent and allocation priority

Introduction

In recent years, technical, political and public opinion in many countries has shifted towards the view that opt-out provisions can help promote organ donation. Two components of transplantation legislation – presumed consent and allocation priority – are thought to increase the donor population by decreasing the ease of opting out and giving registered donors priority among the pool of individuals in need of an organ transplant. The joint implementation of these components is believed to have yielded beneficial effects in Israel and Singapore. To address disappointing results in the number of organ donors, Chile amended its Organ Donor Act in 2013 to include these components.

This paper discusses opting out and prioritizing allocation to increase organ donors in the light of the Chilean experience. Although transplantation legislation in Chile is not ideal, it sets a precedent. The experience gained may be a useful resource to countries seeking to increase their pool of potential organ donors.