Research into why families choose not to donate organs for transplant

Researchers at the University of Southampton wish to investigate why some families decided against donating their loved one's organs for transplant, when asked by medical staff.

The project, led by Dr Magi Sque from the School of Nursing and Midwifery, aims to discover whether families who decided not to donate would be happy to be contacted and invited to take part in the research through the media.

Her team has placed advertisements in major local newspapers and on radio stations to highlight the study and invite participation from families who did not give permission for organ donation.

"We need to understand how relatives make decisions about organ donation. It is easy to find people who agreed to the process but far more difficult to talk to those who declined. We want to find about 20 families who decided not to agree to the donation," said Dr Sque.

Last year, around two thousand people received donated organs in transplant operations, but more than five thousand are still waiting. Eleven million people have signed up to the NHS organ donor register but many people will still die without making their wishes on donation known to their loved ones.