Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) - AODR
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- Why should I consider donating my organs and tissue?
- Why should I discuss donation with my family, partner, or close friend?
- Who can register on the Australian Organ Donor Register?
- Who can donate organs and tissue?
- If I have a tattoo, will I be able to donate organs and tissue?
- If I become an organ donor, will my organs and/or tissue be used for research purposes
- Will I have to pay to be an organ donor?
- When can organ and tissue donation occur?
- Organ Donation
- Tissue Donation
- How are organs and tissue removed?
- What if I’m already registered as a donor elsewhere?
- Who can access the information held on the Donor Register?
- Which organs and tissue can be donated?
Why should I consider donating my organs and tissue?
For people with serious or life-threatening illnesses, organ or tissue transplantation could mean a second chance at life. More than 30,000 Australians have received transplants in the last 60 years. Improved survival rates now mean that most organ or tissue recipients enjoy many years of high-quality life after their transplant.
By choosing to record your consent to donate on the Donor Register, you could help up to 10 other people.
Why should I discuss donation with my family, partner, or close friend?
It is important to discuss your decision with your family, partner, or close friend. They will be an important part of the donation process and therefore should be made aware of your consent (or objection).
Your family member, partner or friend may be asked about your decision to be an organ and/or tissue donor to confirm that you had not changed your mind since you recorded your consent (or objection). They may be asked questions regarding your medical history to determine which organs and/or tissue may be suitable for transplantation. The more family members who know of your decision to donate organs and/or tissue for transplantation, the more likely it is that it will occur and the more reassured they are likely to be by your decision.
While the Donor Register offers a simple and accessible method of recording a person's decision about donation, it is still important for potential donors to discuss the issue with their family, partner or friend. Where a potential donor has made their decision clear, experience shows their family, partner or friend will be more comfortable at the time donation is actively considered.
Who can register on the Australian Organ Donor Register?
Only people aged 18 years and over can register their legally valid consent or objection on the Donor Register. If you are 16 or 17 you can still register your intention to donate.
People under 18 years of age can become organ and tissue donors, although consent from a family member will be needed at the time of death.
Who can donate organs and tissue?
Anyone can donate organs and tissue—there is no age limit on the donation of some organs and tissue. While your age and medical history will be considered, you shouldn’t assume you are too young, too old, or not healthy enough.
If I have a tattoo, will I be able to donate organs and tissue?
Yes. However, it is a good idea to disclose the location and design of any tattoos and whether the tattooist was registered to your family/friends so that the information is passed onto the donor coordinators.
If I become an organ donor, will my organs and/or tissue be used for research purposes
No. Separate and specific permission is required for donated organs and tissue to be used for research purposes. Donated tissue and organs will not be used for medical research unless explicit written permission is granted.
Will I have to pay to be an organ donor?
There are no costs associated with becoming an organ donor.
When can organ and tissue donation occur?
The way in which a person dies determines whether they are able to donate organs or tissue or both.
Organ Donation
In most cases, a person may only be able to donate organs where they have been declared brain dead in an intensive care unit in hospital. Brain death is when blood circulation to the brain ceases, and the brain stops functioning and dies with no possibility of recovery.
A series of tests carried out by two independent and appropriately qualified senior doctors establishes that brain death has occurred.
Less than 1% of all people who die in hospital each year dies in this way and therefore can donate their organs.
People are sometimes confused about the difference between brain death and coma. Brain death is completely different from coma. A patient in a coma is unconscious because their brain is injured in some way, but their brain can continue to function and may heal. Medical tests can clearly distinguish between brain death and coma.
Organ donation may also be possible after a person’s heart has stopped beating, referred to as “cardiac death”, but this is less common.
Tissue Donation
A far greater number of people have the opportunity to donate tissue for transplantation.
Unlike organs, tissue may be stored for a period of time and tissue donation does not require the donor’s death to have occurred in the same limited circumstances as organ donation for transplantation to be successful.
How are organs and tissue removed?
The removal of organs and tissue is no different from any other surgical operation, and is performed by highly skilled health professionals. The donor’s body is always treated with dignity and respect. The donation of organs and tissue does not alter the physical appearance of the body, nor does it affect funeral arrangements.
What if I’m already registered as a donor elsewhere?
It is important that you register your consent to be an organ and tissue donor on the Donor Register—it is the only national register for organ and tissue donation for transplantation after death.
Even if you have previously expressed an intention to donate organs or tissue, for example by ticking a box on a driver’s licence renewal or registering elsewhere, it is very important that you update your details and register your consent to be an organ or tissue donor on the Donor Register.
By recording your consent on the Donor Register, you can be confident that your consent will be recognised should the circumstances arise when you may become an organ or tissue donor.
Who can access the information held on the Donor Register?
Information recorded on the Donor Register can be accessed via a secure Internet site by authorised personnel, who have signed confidentiality agreements covering the access and use of personal information. They are authorised by a management committee comprising representatives from Medicare Australia, the Department of Health and Ageing and state organ donation agencies.
Which organs and tissue can be donated?
Organs: heart, lungs, liver, kidneys, pancreas.
Tissue: heart valves, bone tissue, skin tissue, eye tissue, pancreas tissue.
Last updated: 31 October, 2008