Organ Donation Essay

Unit 1: Organ Donation

Name: Kayden Mataafa

Class: HED121A Introduction

Organ donation within Australia is something society neglects, many barriers prevent Australians from knowing about donation, and how to go about donating. Organ donation is a life-saving and life-transforming medical process. Organ and tissue donation involves removing organs and tissues from someone who has died (a donor) and transplanting them into someone who, in many cases, is very ill or dying (a recipient) (Donatelife.gov.au, 2018). A donor within Australia cannot decide individually on whether they can or want to donate, in the end the family are always the final deciders in matters regarding organ donation. The purpose of this task is to incorporate the Ottawa

In 2017, 510 people deceased donors donated their organs, saving over 1,400 people, and giving them the gift of organ donation. In 2017. ‘The most important thing that helps a family's decision is their knowing the donation decision of their loved one' (Donate Life, 2017) only 60% of Australians discuss their wishes for organ donation with their family, meaning the other 40% of Australian families are more than likely to decline organ donation, this is one of the biggest barriers for Australian organ donation. Also, during a conducted survey between the year 12 health class and other students, within figure 1, it can be shown that only 13.4% of people were registered to become an organ donor in Australia, compared to Australia's 76% (Transplant Australia, 2016). Furthermore, 40% of Australians don’t know if their religion supports organ and tissue donation, and 20% of families that declined donation in 2014 did so out of religious or cultural concerns, this amount is huge, if people who were educated in whether or not their religion accepts organ donation, a whole 20% of families would allow their loved one to proceed with organ and tissue transplantation, this barrier is one of the largest ones to date. Another barrier that stops organ donation procedures is the knowledge of people and thinking they're either not healthy enough, or they're too old to donate their organs, the majority (78%) of Australians aged 65+ years are willing to donate organs and tissues, yet 37% assume they are too old to be considered for organ and tissue donation (Donatelife, 2014). In figure 2, it can be shown that although Australia may be leading in successful organ transplantations in the world, that the reason is