Organic donations in danger: relatives defend themselves more and more!

In Austria, the contradiction regulation for organ donation applies, which means that every deceased is automatically regarded as an organ donor, unless he has expressly objected during his lifetime (burgenland.orf.at). However, this regulation faces a growing challenge: more and more relatives give their doubts and fears expression and speak out against an organ withdrawal. According to Andreas Riedler, a specialist in anesthesia and intensive care medicine, relatives often report on their uncertainties at the point in time and the process of brain death, which in practice often leads to contradictions that result less from the will of the deceased, but rather for emotional fears of the bereaved

The psychological stress for medical staff in intensive care units is enormous. The painful task of informing relatives about death and possibly moving them to organ donation is further difficult by the emotional load that these conversations bring. Many doctors and nurses express the desire for more training in brain death determination and the care of potential organ donors (aerzteblatt.de). The level of knowledge of the intensive care physicians shows that the fear of the time of too early switching off the life -supporting devices and the associated pressure from relatives is an increasing threat to organ donation. The Covid-19 pandemic has further tightened the situation and could also have contributed to the acceptance of the organ donation.

challenges in intensive care medicine

Particularly time -consuming processes such as the determination of brain death and the organization of organ donation are the responsibility of the intensive care staff. This complex matter is not just medical processes, but also emotional and communicative challenges (aerzteblatt.de). A good relationship with the relatives is essential to build trust and promote the willingness to donate organ. Riedler points out that the relatives, who are often faced with grief and shock, have to be able to think about the will of the deceased and possibly agree.

An increase in organ donation depends on the ability to mitigate these fears and create an environment in which the relatives can speak openly about their concerns. Doctors have to find a balance between the medical diagnosis and the emotional support of the families.