Resources

Terminology Guidelines

Guidelines for Donor Sensitive Organ Donation Terminology

In May 2005, the Donor Family Council of the Association of Organ Procurement Organizations (AOPO) approved the use of new terminology about donation. The council reasoned that avoiding words and phrases that cause concern among donor families and the general public will increase both understanding and acceptance of the donation process. These terminology updates are unanimously supported by the American Society of Transplantation (AST) and American Society of Transplant Surgeons (ASTS) and have been adopted by the American Journal of Transplantation.


Appropriate Term

Inappropriate Term

“recover” organs
“recovery” of organs
“donation” of organs

“harvest” organs
“harvesting” of organs
“harvesting” of organs

“donation after cardiac death”
“progressing to brain death”
“determine brain death”
“death”

“non-heart beating donation”
“deteriorating to brain death”
“declare brain death”
“legal death”

“consent given”

“obtained consent”
“got consent”

“facilitated a donation”

“did a donor”

“mechanical” support
“ventilator” support

“life” support

“donated organs and tissues”
“transplanted organs per donor”

“body parts”
“yield”

“deceased” donation

“cadaveric” donation
“cadaver” donation

“deceased donor”

“cadaver” (when used in a donation context)

TRIO thanks Ms. Tenaya Wallace, Communications Manager of One Legacy of Southern California, for providing the above article.

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