Active policy doubles corneal donations

The report, from a study in this week's British Medical Journal (volume 321), has been published at a time when there is concern about the level of donations. Patients pronounced dead in accident and emergency departments are potential donors of corneas, but this resource is underused, the report claims. In the study published today (November 17) consent for corneal donation was requested from the relatives of all patients pronounced dead in one accident and emergency department in Scotland from April to July 1999. In addition, a questionnaire assessed relatives' attitudes towards corneal donation. Of 25 patients, consent was given for nine pairs of corneas to be donated - a retrieval rate of 36 per cent compared to 1 per cent in the previous year. Of these nine donors, three carried a donor card. Of 24 questionnaires completed, 21 relatives thought it was appropriate to be approached about corneal donation and 23 were not distressed by the request. Projecting these results for one year, the authors would expect to double the number of corneas donated in the west of Scotland simply by implementing this policy in one accident and emergency department. These findings may also add to the political debate surrounding the validity of donor cards and the need for an opt-out policy, the study's authors have said.