Between the two parties to a deceased donor transplant: analysis of a transplant coordinator's ethical position between the recipient and the donor's family

Topic: When an organ is harvested from a dead donor, how should transplant coordinators handle the issue of contact between the donor’s family and the organ recipient? Methods: The authors—qualified by extensive practical experience and philosophical investigation— conduct a systematic discussion of the problem, setting out both the bioethical issues and the practical dilemmas which have to be faced and resolved. Results: They then recommend a strategy for coordinators to decide both their own thought-through stance on the issue and how they will respond in practice to the needs and wishes of the parties. Conclusions: The professionals handling the transplant process need tailor-made training in the bioethics relevant to the challenges likely to confront them. This training must go beyond theoretical and ethical guidance to include simulations designed to disclose each staff member's own personal belief system and make them aware and reflective of their individual biasses.