Attitudes toward reciprocity systems for organ donation and allocation for transplantation.

Many of those who support organ donation do not register to become organ donors. The use of reciprocity systems, under which some degree of priority is offered to registered donors who require an organ transplant, is one suggestion for increasing registration rates. This article uses a combination of survey and focus group methodologies to explore the reaction of Canadians to a reciprocity proposal.

Priority in organ allocation to previously registered donors: public perceptions of the fairness and effectiveness of priority systems.

A priority system is one in which previously registered donors receive a preference in the allocation of organs for transplant ahead of those who have not registered. Supporters justify these systems on the basis that they are fair and will encourage donor registration. This article reviews existing studies of public reactions to priority systems, as well as studies of the extent to which the moral principle of reciprocity affects decision making in organ donation.

On the interaction of disability and aging: Accelerated degradation models and their influence on projections of future care needs and costs for personal injury litigation.

Purpose: Accelerated degradation models are emerging as ways to characterize the interaction between disability and the functional decline of aging and to provide insights about the processes of aging with disability. Typically the models employ sophisticated mathematical treatments that are beyond the scope of many clinicians, lawyers, and others who might benefit from the information they contain. The purpose of this report is to characterize some rudimentary features of the models, in more readily understandable language, and illustrate how understanding of the underlying constructs can influence decisions regarding resource allocation and other projections of future care needs.

Information needs and information sources of individuals living with spinal cord injury.

Aims And Objectives: Access to health information is important for the well-being of people living in the community after spinal cord injury (SCI). In order to design appropriate information interventions, it is critical first to understand the information sources typically used. The goal of this study therefore is to identify the information-seeking practices of this group.