The United Network for Organ Sharing has announced the availability of a kit that is designed to help make it easier for hospital personnel and organ procurement organizations to ask family members to donate the organs of a relative.
The In Symphony kit was launched at a recent meeting of the North American Transplant Coordinators. It contains a poster that serves as a visual reminder to health care personnel of the importance of organ and tissue donation, a bookmark with the same message, and a six-page booklet that can be used by hospital personnel to educate other health care professionals. Written in a question-and-answer format, the booklet addresses the need for organs, the success of transplants, the organ allocation process in the United States, and the conditions necessary for organ donation. It also reviews the health care professional's legal responsibility regarding organ and tissue donation and gives tips on how to approach a family to discuss organ donation.
For Your Information:
UNOS news release
www.unos.org/newsroom/archive_story_19990806_symphony.htm
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