Legislation and Policy Recommendations on Organ and Tissue Donation and Transplantation From an International Consensus Forum

Background.

There is a shared global commitment to improving baseline donation and transplantation performance metrics in a manner consistent with ethics and local cultural and social factors. The law is one tool that can help improve these metrics. Although legal systems vary across jurisdictions, our objective was to create expert, consensus guidance for law and policymakers on foundational issues underlying organ and tissue donation and transplantation (OTDT) systems around the world.

Methods.

Using the nominal group technique, a group composed of legal academics, a transplant coordinator/clinician, and a patient partner identified topic areas and recommendations on foundational legal issues. The recommendations were informed by narrative literature reviews conducted by group members based on their areas of expertise, which yielded a range of academic articles, policy documents, and sources of law. Best practices were identified from relevant sources in each subtopic, which formed the basis of the recommendations contained herein.

Results.

We reached consensus on 12 recommendations grouped into 5 subtopics: (i) legal definitions and legislative scope, (ii) consent requirements for donation‚ (iii) allocation of organs and tissue‚ (iv) operation of OTDT systems‚ and (v) travel for transplant and organ trafficking. We have differentiated between those foundational legal principles for which there is a firm basis of support with those requiring further consideration and resolution. Seven such areas of controversy are identified and discussed alongside relevant recommendations.

Conclusions.

Our recommendations encompass some principles staunchly enshrined in the OTDT landscape (eg, the dead donor rule), whereas others reflect more recent developments in practice (eg, mandatory referral). Although some principles are widely accepted, there is not always consensus as to how they ought to be implemented. As the OTDT landscape continues to evolve, recommendations must be reconsidered for the law to keep pace with developments in knowledge, technology, and practice.