Organs for transplantation. The demand increases--but not the supply

The supply of organs is the only factor which limits the scope of transplantation to help the severely ill. As the number of donors can not be appreciably increased, the functional and medical criteria for donors are reduced instead. Although the already positive attitude of the public to cadaveric organ donation is unlikely to improve further, intensified information campaigns might result in more people discussing organ donation with their relatives and informing them of their views, which would help surviving relatives to decide for or against organ donation. It should also be possible to improve access to organs by educating health care personnel.