Opt-out plan 'only way to boost organ donations'

THE idea that organ donation rates can be increased without a system of "presumed consent" is not realistic, according to a report.

Experts writing in the British Medical Journal said the Organ Donor Taskforce, which looked at how donor numbers could be improved, was unrealistic if it thought that donation rates could be dramatically increased without adopting presumed consent.

Such a policy would see everyone considered a potential donor unless they choose to opt out, rather than having to opt in as at present.

Researchers Sheila Bird, from the Biostatistics Unit in Cambridge, and John Harris, from the Institute for Science, Ethics and Innovation in Manchester, argued that "the taskforce did not consider all the evidence, particularly on relatives' refusal rates, and that the current policy, however reinforced, will not substantially increase the number of organs available".

The experts suggested that a system of presumed consent could increase the number of donors by 2,880 over ten years.