In:
The International Journal of Psychiatry in Medicine, SAGE Publications, Vol. 41, No. 4 ( 2011-05), p. 295-308
Abstract:
The donation of livers by living donors entails complex processes, both surgically and psychosocially, potentially involving risks in both domains. Thorough psychosocial evaluation is necessary to minimize those risks, yet little has been written about the donor assessment process. This article describes one such process, utilized by a transplant program in upstate New York. Method: Donor candidates undergo multiple psychosocial interviews early in the overall transplant evaluation process. Evaluators subsequently meet as a group, along with an independent ethicist, to determine psychosocial candidacy prior to final medical/surgical clearance. Results: Between 2003 and 2007, 416 donor candidates initiated and/or underwent full evaluation, resulting in a 17.5% surgery and 55.5% exclusion rate among those individuals. Of those ruled out, 20.8% were for (medical or psychosocial) reasons associated with the recipient, and 8.7% were for donor-related psychosocial issues. Conclusion: Given the primacy of psychosocial and ethical issues in living liver donor candidate evaluation, the multiple interview process, followed by team discussion and overseen by an ethicist removed from other transplant program functions, has advantages as a donor assessment model.
Type of Medium:
Online Resource
ISSN:
0091-2174
,
1541-3527
Language:
English
Publisher:
SAGE Publications
Publication Date:
2011
detail.hit.zdb_id:
2071478-6
SSG:
5,2
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