Dissertation proposal::Psychological Effects of Organ Donor Policies on the Organ Donor and His Family - Essay Example

Such process entails much ethical consideration as the procedure is very delicate and complicated. Policies have been established and implemented before such a procedure can take place. Although policies have been set for the benefit of both organ donors and donees, it is inevitable that consideration of prospective cases need careful study before final decisions can be done with regards to the appointment of organs to donees. This means that time and money will have to be spent and both donors and donees wait sometimes for a long duration of time before the organ transplantation takes place.

Needless to say, the patient in need of an organ is placed at great risk since time is a factor that can spell the success of the procedure. However, this also creates much anxiety on the organ donor and his family. This study will specifically explore the psychological effects of the organ transplantation policies on the organ donor and his family. Literature Review Colebatch (2002), sees policy as a cloak that makes organized activity stable and predictable. Policy has two dimensions: vertical and horizontal.

The vertical dimension sees policy as a rule taking on a “top-down” perspective. . The horizontal dimension of policy sees it in practice amongst policy participants and can affect how policy may be altered to benefit more people. Policies on organ transplant procurement have indeed affected medical practice. Doubtless, there is an organ shortage; Waiting lists of prospective organ recipients lengthen year after year. According to the United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS) (2009), it is estimated that in the US the number of patients waiting for transplantation is more than 100,000 while in EU is more than 50,000 (Schutt, 2002).

Kaserman & Barnett (2002), claim that this is not due to an inadequate supply of potential organ donors but due to the restrictive policies of organ procurement. The two sources of organ donation are live human donors, mostly close family relatives of the patient in need of the organ, and cadaveric donors. Live donors usually do it for altruistic reasons in the hope of saving the life of a loved one. On the other hand, in the case of cadaveric donation the issue of consent of the deceased donor comes into question.

Usually, such consent is manifested by a signed organ donor card that the deceased has in his/her possession, or else, he/she has, when alive, explicitly expressed willingness to donate his/her organs upon his/her death. The unavailability of such presumed consent turns the responsibility of providing consent to the next of kin. This is where most of the problems with organ procurement rest, as most family members may be reluctant in disturbing the peace of dead and may hold various views in organ harvest (Jarvis, 1995; Koch, 2002).

It is strongly hypothesized in both cases, the live organ donor and his family members as well as the family members of the cadaveric organ donor