This is one of the most common misconceptions about organ donation. If I’m a registered donor, will doctors still do everything they can to save me?
The answer is yes.
“When a patient is critically ill, their medical team focuses on providing the best possible care and doing everything they can to restore the health of the patient. Whether someone may be able to donate organs, eyes, or tissue does not change this process.” —Dr. Tom Nakagawa, HonorBridge Associate Medical Director
Does being an organ donor affect my medical care?
Rest assured, signing up to be an organ, eye, and tissue donor does not affect the quality of care you receive. A medical professional’s first priority is to provide care and preserve life. Doctors will make every effort to save a patient’s life regardless of whether that person is a registered donor.
“I will apply, for the benefit of the sick, all measures [that] are required… I will remember that I do not treat a fever chart, a cancerous growth, but a sick human being…and that warmth, sympathy, and understanding may outweigh the surgeon’s knife or the chemist’s drug.” –The Hippocratic Oath
The same is true in an emergency. EMS and hospital teams are focused on treating the patient in front of them. Alyssa Schuster, HonorBridge’s EMS/Medical Examiner Liaison, described her experience as a paramedic this way:
“As a paramedic, I never looked at somebody’s license for that heart. I never even thought about it. Nobody looks at an ID unless it’s to identify the person. It’s all hands on deck to save a life.”
What happens if someone is a registered donor and doctors cannot save them?
If a patient dies and is medically eligible to donate, the donation process may begin after death has been declared by the hospital team.
At that point, HonorBridge works with the hospital, the patient’s family, and receiving transplant centers to determine whether organs, eyes, or tissue can be donated. The idea that doctors might “give up” on a patient because they are a potential donor simply isn’t true.
Laurie McDonald, a retired transplant social worker at UNC, shared her perspective after seeing the care ICU teams provide:
“I’ve witnessed the incredible care ICU staff provide to donors, and it’s clear to me that every life is precious and that they’re going to do everything they can to save somebody.”
What if a patient is already receiving end-of-life care?
Sometimes a patient has suffered a devastating injury or illness and, despite exhaustive medical treatment, recovery is no longer possible. The patient’s medical team may determine that further life-sustaining treatment cannot restore the patient’s health.
In some cases, a family and medical team may make the decision to withdraw life-sustaining treatment based on the patient’s medical condition and wishes. The decision to withdraw life-sustaining treatment is separate from the decision about organ, eye, and tissue donation. The possibility of donation does not cause the medical team to make that decision. Once life-sustaining treatment is withdrawn and if the patient meets the medical criteria for donation, an OPO will discuss organ donation with the patient’s family. However, the organ donation process cannot begin until a patient has been declared dead by their medical team and the OPO has received authorization to proceed with recovery.
Why does this misconception about organ donation exist?
It is understandable that people have questions about how donation works, particularly when they have never experienced the process firsthand. Without a clear understanding of the separation between medical care and donation, it can be easy to wonder whether donation could somehow influence treatment decisions.
The good news is that the donation system is specifically structured to prevent that. The medical team’s job is to care for the patient and determine whether the patient can be saved. HonorBridge’s role begins when a hospital identifies a patient as a potential donor.
The bottom line
There are more than 100,000 people in the United States waiting for a lifesaving transplant, including more than 4,000 people in North Carolina. They are our neighbors, coworkers, friends, and loved ones. If you have questions about organ donation, seek information from reliable sources. Do not let sensationalized headlines and misinformation keep others from receiving a second chance at life!
75 or more lives can be saved and healed by one organ, eye, and tissue donor. Sign up today!