Social media and organ donation: Ethically navigating the next frontier

[Clark]

http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/ajt.14444/abstract?campaign=woletoc

Social media and organ donation: Ethically navigating the next frontier
M. L. Henderson, et al.,
 AJT
DOI: 10.1111/ajt.14444

Abstract
As the organ shortage continues to grow, the creation of social media communities by transplant hospitals and the public is rapidly expanding to increase the number of living donors. Social media communities are arranged in myriad ways and without standardization, raising concerns about transplant candidates’ and potential donors’ autonomy and quality of care. Social media communities magnify and modify extant ethical issues in deceased and living donation related to privacy, confidentiality, professionalism, and informed consent, and increase the potential for undue influence and coercion for potential donors and transplant candidates. Currently, no national ethical guidelines have been developed in the United States regarding the use of social media to foster organ transplantation. We provide an ethical framework to guide transplant stakeholders in using social media for public and patient communication about transplantation and living donation, and offer recommendations for transplant clinical practice and future research.
…
“Recommendations for Transplant Candidates
Transplant candidates should be informed to not post the following items to social media: personal phone numbers, personal email addresses, residential
addresses, family information, other sensitive information, and inappropriate photos.
Transplant candidates should request that potential donors’ questions or interest be directed to the transplant hospital to minimize the effect of public influence
on potential donors’ decisions.
Recommendations for Potential Living Donors
Potential donors should be informed to not post the following items to social media: personal phone numbers, personal email addresses, residential addresses,
family information, other sensitive information, and inappropriate photos.
Potential donors should understand that posting about interest in donation or one’s donor evaluation can lead to uninvited public feedback.
Potential donors should speak openly with the transplant candidate and providers the transplant hospital about any questions they have about information
posted by a transplant candidate on social media online.
Prior to publically announcing interest in donation, potential donors should do their own research, talk to their support system, and consider whether
donation is right for them.”
…
[abstracted from full text article]