Perspectives In Transplantation: Organ Donation Among Health Care Providers

A continuing problem exists in trying to close the gap between the supply and demand of procured organs in the United States. An increase in the amount of transplant operations performed has risen significantly over time. As a result, a new name is added to the national waiting list every 16 minutes (Duan, Gibbons, & Meltzer, 2000). It is estimated that about 100,000 individuals are on the national transplant waiting list at all times (Munson, 2012). Something needs to be done before these numbers get completely out of control. Despite the introduction of Gift of Life and many other educational efforts, the United

The shortage of organ transplants has been an ongoing crisis for years; the growing list of patients awaiting transplants has no end in sight, and the number of people dying while they waste away on the waiting list is not going to go down unless something changes.Society has turned away from alternatives to our archaic organ donation program, but there are other options available.The transplant community and society as a whole need to step back and rethink--to adopt a more open-minded views on organs as a resource in order to save lives and make meaningful changes to the national transplant program.

Organ donation has the power to change a life ending incident into a life giving one. Throughout the United States many patients are suffering due to the lack of a vital organ, because there is more demand than supply of organs, many patients die without ever receiving one. Although organ donation saves many lives, there have been questions in regards to ethics that surround it. People are even making the argument that it should not be practiced. Another question that has surfaced is, how can organ donation be improved in the United States so that people in need of organs can receive them at a high rate? Even though organ donation in the United States has received criticism due to ethical dilemmas such as priority distribution, contributing to illegal harvesting and alternative sources; the possibilities of saving lives and giving people a second chance outweighs the potential consequences it holds. Organ donation is one of the most important modern day medical marble that needs to be better utilized United States.

The allocation of scarce resources is an ongoing issue in healthcare today. The scarcity of many specific interventions include beds in the intensive care unit, donor organs, and vaccines during a pandemic influenza are widely acknowledged as an extensive issue in healthcare ethics. The allocation of scarce resources is the determination of how to equally and fairly use scarce medical resources available in a healthcare environment. This paper will focus on donor organs for transplantation and the ethical dilemmas associated with donation/transplantation. Organ shortage is the greatest challenge facing the field of organ transplantation in today’s world (Saidi, R., & Kenan, S., 2014). Ethical principles and regulation requirements often overlap.

The medical industry had been achieving more in the stage of medical advancements, though they are still in the early phase. Artificial organs have been one of those achievements. Although they have achieved such, artificial organs are not perfect. Most doctors as well as patients would prefer to replace a dying organ with a compatible human organ, rather than with an artificial or animal organ. Yet due to a there being less organs donated than recipients, artificial and animal organs are becoming more common in transplants. Most of this issue is because people are unaware of how organ donation works, the organs that can be donated, how many people are in need, and the advancements that have happened in the field. Organ donation saves hundreds of lives every year, but many lives are recklessly lost due to a shortage of organ donors.

“Each year almost 5,000 people die in the United States while waiting for organ transplants. Thus, cadaveric organs are extremely valuable resources whose allocation literally has life and death implications. Address how the following factors should be relevant to allocation (or whether they are indeed relevant at all): medical condition, probability of success, geographic location, waiting time, ability to pay, age, family status, and behavioral causes of organ failure” (Weimer, Vining, 201l, pg.155).

Organ transplantation is a term that most people are familiar with. When a person develops the need for a new organ either due to an accident or disease, they receive a transplant, right? No, that 's not always right. When a person needs a new organ, they usually face a long term struggle that they may never see the end of, at least while they are alive. The demand for transplant organs is a challenging problem that many people are working to solve. Countries all over the world face the organ shortage epidemic, and they all have different laws regarding what can be done to solve it. However, no country has been able to create a successful plan without causing moral and ethical dilemmas.

“There is a need to instil in people's hearts, especially in the hearts of the young, a genuine and deep appreciation of the need for brotherly love, a love that can find expression in the decision to become an organ donor.” Pope John Paul II stated in the Address to International Congress on Transplants. In a culture of death and self-centeredness it is important to prompt the youth to consider becoming an organ donor. The number of people in need of a transplant is growing quickly, and already is at a large rate. Eighteen people will die each day waiting for an organ transplant; more must be done to help these people, yet it must be within the standards of medical ethics.

Organ donations have encountered organ donor, and as a result, organ supply decreases. Over the years, organ donation challenges and demands increase inversely in proportion to the organ shortages. The primary mission of donor’s organizations is to save as many terminally ill recipients at the end stages of their lives as possible with an end goal of giving these recipients a normal a life span. The significance of organ donation is to restore an ailing person’s quality of life. The ongoing issue of organ shortages may be a symptom of the current program that present an idealistic portrait of how these issues may be resolved. As a result, the mission and ultimate goal of organizations such as UNOS and Donate Life America, among others, is to obtain viable organs for their patients and to promote; education, empower altruism and establish quality ethics, and act as a resource for existing and potential donors.

Despite medical and technological advances, the demand for organs continues to be greater than the supply. “On average, 22 people die each day while waiting for a transplant, [and although] 95% of U.S. adults support organ donation, only 48% are actually [registered] as donors.”

Donating an organ, whether it is before or after dead, is seen by society as the right thing to do, but at what cost. Being asked to become an organ donor right before getting our license is almost always a yes. Death is one of the farthest things from our mind and when we are asked this question we would rather live life knowing our organs could be used to save someone’s life. But this simple checkmark or heart can sometimes be used against us; because there are so many people waiting for an organ, doctors have been given the ability to stretch the fine line between life and death. Not signing the donor card can gives us a few more bargaining space. Although both Crystal Lombardo and Dick Teresi speak about the effects of organ donation, Lombardo, author of “11 Major Pros And Cons Of Organ Donation”, points out the importance of becoming an organ donor, while Teresi, author of “What You Lose When You Sign That Donor Card”, describes the complications between doctor and patient.

D. Thesis - Organ donation and Transplants are the most remarkable success stories in the history of medicine. They give hope to

Raise your hands if you ever wanted to help the less fortunate live better lives but didn’t know how to go through with it because you didn’t plan to become a doctor, a police officer or even be enlisted in the army.

Organ Donation is at great importance. It has been known to save many lives. One person can donate up to eight lifesaving organs. (U.S. National Library of Medicine) In other words, one person can save up to eight lives. Many individuals are suffering on a daily basis waiting for an organ transplant. Organ availability is very scarce. Up to twenty people die everyday waiting for a transplant. (Funk and Wagnalls) There are many experiences that have been shared through the donation process. One individual can turn into someone’s hero just by signing up to become a donor.

“Organ, eye, and tissue donation and transplantation provide a second chance at life for thousands of people each year. You have the opportunity to be one of the individuals who make these miracles happen” (Transplantation). But, what about the fine print? We are accustom to hearing tv ads and marketing analysts expose organ donation on it’s postitivity, yet we rarely hear the cons. Are we not subjected to hear the truth, in its totality. Or, should we succumb to the thought of the good deed we wish to fulfill when we are dead and gone? Let’s be honest, transplantation of human body parts is quite expensive. Therefore, many individuals who donate often think of the person who can’t afford and offer to give help, when they no longer need it. But, is it poor Sally or rich Jessica, who get’s the first dibs on the heart transplant? That remains the question.