organ donation


medical directive

End-of-life decisions A specific and comprehensive advance care document–being developed for health care at the end of life. See Advance directive, Durable power of attorney, Living will. Medical Directive–optimal components
Introduction Provides an explanation of the document's purpose Paradigmatic scenarios Provides examples that help the individual understand various illness circumstances and evaluate the types of life-sustaining interventions that might be employed; the PSs would–in theory–help the individual designate his/her preferences with respect to specific treatments Proxy decision-maker Section provides details on who would make the decisions in the event of the individual becoming mentally incompetent Organ donation Yes/no, what, to whom, for what Personal statement The individual's 'wrap-up'

organ donation

The removal of a body part from one person for transplantation into another, typically to restore functional capacity.

Patient care

Organ donation may occur during life, as when a matched individual chooses to give bone marrow or a kidney to another; or it may occur at death, by those who have agreed to donate their organs if they suffer fatal accidents. Health care professionals working with trauma patients have a significant effect on increasing the number of organ donations through prompt identification of possible donors and the provision of hemodynamic management to preserve organ function and health.

See: donor card; transplantation