AMA Journal of Ethics^®

The DDR requires organ donors to be dead according to legal criteria prior to organ removal, and it’s rooted in fears of civil and criminal liability.

Current policy requires separate informed consent for some Public Health Service increased-risk donors, and this can make shared decision making harder.

Consideration of what constitutes sufficient information about how donation protocols can interfere with a patient’s dying process is a key feature of consent processes.

Although identical twin-to-twin skin grafting has resulted in excellent survival rates in burn patients, the nature and scope of ethical decision making in monozygotic sibling skin grafting needs further examination.

Telemedicine is fast becoming a reliable medium for convening ethics deliberations and bringing expert assistance to remote locations.

Despite clear donor consent, health professionals must communicate clearly about death to family members to avoid confusion.