U.S. Organ Donation Guidelines Change, Raising Patient Safety and Ethical Concerns

A change to U.S. organ donation guidelines, taking effect Nov. 18, will allow organ procurement teams to discuss donation with families during end-of-life conversations, rather than waiting until life support withdrawal decisions are made.

Approved Aug. 20 by the Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network, the revision aims to improve coordination and prevent errors in donation following circulatory death, which accounts for about half of organ donations.

More than 109,000 Americans are awaiting transplants, and approximately 12 die daily. The change has raised concerns about potential family pressure and patient safety safeguards. Read more from NPR here.