Money for consent--psychological consideration.
BACKGROUND
Regarding the increasing gap between demand and supply of donor organs the question is increasingly discussed, if families of organ donors should receive a financial incentive for consenting to organ donation. However, little attention has been paid to the psychological consequences of such incentives.


OBJECTIVE
We discuss the question of financial incentives for families of presumed organ donors in the light of relevant psychological theories.


METHODS
Overview of the psychological literature. Only well established theories were included.


CONCLUSIONS
We summarise, that financial benefits for consent to organ donoation could affect adversely the public opinion toward organ donation and the whole process of transplantation and thus could counterproductively influence the consent rates.
Mayrhofer-Reinhartshuber
David
D
Center for health care communication, Vienna, Austria.
Fitzgerald
Annelies
A
Fitzgerald
Robert D
RD
D003073:Cognitive Dissonance; D006801:Humans; D007258:Informed Consent / Q000523:psychology*; D009042:Motivation; D016377:Organ Transplantation / Q000191:economics* / Q000523:psychology*; D011639:Public Opinion; D009927:Tissue and Organ Procurement / Q000191:economics*