Organ donation education initiatives: A report of the Donor Management Task Force

Purpose It is essential that hospitals and health professionals establish systems to facilitate patients' organ donation wishes. Donation education has been neither standardized nor systematic, and resources related to donation processes have not been widely accessible. This report describes 2 free, publicly available educational resources about the organ donation process created to advance the mission of basic education and improve donation processes within hospitals and health care systems. Materials and methods Members of the Donor Management Task Force of the Organ Donation and Transplantation Alliance (the Alliance) and the Health Resources and Services Administration of the US Department of Health and Human Services convened annually in person and by teleconferencing during the year to develop 2 educational vehicles on organ donation. Results Two educational products were developed: the Organ Donation Toolbox, an online repository of documents and resources covering all aspects of the donation process, and the Educational Training Video that reviews the basic foundations of a successful hospital donation system. Conclusions There is a need for more research and education about the process of organ donation as it relates to the medical and psychosocial care of patients and families before the end of life. The educational products described can help fill this critical need.