The Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe adopted Recommendation CM/Rec(2024)8 on the family approach to discuss deceased organ and tissue donation on 27 November 2024. This instrument promotes a family-centred approach to discussing organ and tissue donation after a person’s death.
This recommendation was adopted to help solve a very simple problem, but for which there is no simple solution. Efforts to save and improve tens of thousands of lives come up against the same obstacle year after year: the insufficient supply of donated organs and tissues.
Addressing this problem requires a multi-faceted approach – comprising robust policies, organisational models and public information campaigns that promote the donation of organs and tissues from deceased persons – to broaden the potential donor base. Including the topic of deceased organ and tissue donation in family conversations in the right way, at the right time and by the right person can have a profound impact on consent and authorisation rates for the post-mortem donation of organs and tissues and on the well-being of families.
The measures put forward in the recommendation include providing clear information about donation processes, implementing registries for donation decisions, educating healthcare professionals on family discussions and establishing national guidelines for family care and end-of-life choices. The measures aim to improve consent rates for donation, and thus the availability of often long-awaited organs and tissues to treat patients in need, and support families during the grieving process.
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