@article {Wellesley24, author = {A Wellesley and E Glucksman and R Crouch}, title = {Organ donation in the accident and emergency department: a study of relatives{\textquoteright} views.}, volume = {14}, number = {1}, pages = {24--25}, year = {1997}, doi = {10.1136/emj.14.1.24}, publisher = {British Association for Accident and Emergency Medicine}, abstract = {OBJECTIVE: To determine whether recently bereaved people would object to being asked about organ donation immediately after the death of their relative. METHODS: A telephone interview of 78 recently bereaved relatives of people who had died in an inner city accident and emergency (A\&E) department; 68 (87\%) agreed to participate in the study and were sent a questionnaire. Outcome measures were views on being asked about organ donation in the A\&E department immediately after the death of a relative and knowledge of the possibility for organ donation in A\&E after a sudden death. RESULTS: 37 questionnaires were returned: 27 (72.9\%) of those who responded would not have minded being asked, five would have minded, and five did not know or did not fill in the questionnaire; 29 were aware that organs could be donated following a death in A\&E. Only six people had discussed organ donation before the bereavement. Only two of the people who died and seven of their relatives carried a donor card. Sixteen had heard about the NHS donor register. CONCLUSIONS: Most those responding would not have minded being asked about organ donation following a sudden death. More education is needed in two main areas: (1) to raise public awareness about the shortage of donor organs; (2) to improve the medical and nursing confidence in discussing these difficult issues sensitively but more openly and frequently.}, issn = {1351-0622}, URL = {https://emj.bmj.com/content/14/1/24}, eprint = {https://emj.bmj.com/content/14/1/24.full.pdf}, journal = {Emergency Medicine Journal} }