Recently, there has been significant concern surrounding the procedures and conditions for donation after circulatory death (DCD). As organ procurement organizations face increased pressure, there have been conflicts and concerns over the expectations for how patients who have designated themselves as donors are treated prior to death, and at the time of the withdrawal of life sustaining treatment.
This session will describe the effects and limitations of “first person authorizations” (FPAs) for donation, and how unresolved questions about the scope of FPA can lead to conflict over how and when life sustaining treatment is withdrawn, conflict over treatments for living patients designed to improve organ procurement but not the patient’s medical interests, and confusion about the kinds of information that should be disclosed to patients or their loved ones prior to organ procurement. This session will describe these challenges, and discuss ethical considerations for their practical resolution.
Joel Wu, JD, MPH, MA, HEC-C, is a Center for Bioethics Clinical Ethics Assistant Professor and a senior lecturer in the Division of Health Policy and Management at the University of Minnesota’s School of Public Health. He is a co-chair of the University of Minnesota Medical Center's Ethics Committee, co-lead for the clinical ethics consultation service for MHealth Fairview system hospitals, and member of the MHealth Fairview Ethics Council. Professor Wu also teaches courses at the intersection of clinical ethics, public health ethics, and public health law.
Register for this event virtually here.