NTS response to donor law evaluation: glad that the donor wishes of the Dutch are much better known.

Due to the new donor law, 75% of the Dutch have recorded their wish. The majority also know that not submitting a choice automatically means 'no objection', the evaluation of the law shows.

Director Naomi Nathan of the Dutch Transplant Foundation (NTS) is pleased with these results: 'That is an important gain. This evaluation shows that you can trust that people want to be donors if they have chosen 'yes' or 'no objection'.'

Today, Minister Pia Dijkstra of Public Health presented the evaluation report on the amended donor law to the House of Representatives.

Informing the public remains essential

The NTS recognizes itself in the results of the evaluation and agrees with the minister that public information will remain urgently needed in the coming years. Naomi Nathan: 'On the one hand, it is good that a majority of the population is well informed about the donor law. But we want to move towards a situation in which everyone submits a choice that suits them and everyone knows that 'no objection' means you are automatically a donor. That is a condition for maintaining public trust in the law. And that provides the best chance for more organ and tissue transplants, with which we can help people on the waiting list.'

Sharing choice with family

But perhaps even more important is that people know what their loved one(s) have chosen. Nathan: 'Doctors notice in practice that families are sometimes surprised by the notification that their family member is registered as a donor. If you have never talked about it with each other, doubt can strike. Especially with consent based on a 'no objection' registration: was this really a conscious choice by my loved one? That is why we call on everyone in the Netherlands: share your choice with your family! This way you prevent unexpected news at an already sad moment.'

Misunderstanding about the role of family

The NTS notes that it is a relatively new law that still really needs to become established, and will continue to actively strive alongside the government in the coming years to inform everyone about what organ and tissue donation entails. Nathan: 'Informing is also important to address misunderstandings. For example, it is often thought that the family always has the final say. This confusion probably stems from the old law. In the current donor law, everyone has made a choice, and if you do not submit anything, you are automatically a donor. The family can only go against this registration in exceptional circumstances.'

Conversation support

The NTS will also investigate how donation professionals and families can be even better supported communicatively during the donation process in the hospital. Nathan: 'We already provide a lot of training annually to professionals in talking to families about donation. But because of the low number of conversations, they can practice little with this afterwards. We are pleased that the minister has indicated that she wants to see in the short term whether she wants to follow up on an earlier pilot by the NTS with organ donation coordinators who can support these types of conversations and possibly conduct them together. And we think we can support the conversation with the family even better with images and language.'

Effect of Donor Law on transplants

There has been a slight increase in donors and transplants in recent years. The report rightly concludes that, partly due to the corona pandemic, it is too early to really determine the effects of the new Donor Law on the number of organ and tissue donors. The NTS will gladly cooperate in a new evaluation in 2029. Nathan: 'And it is great news that the minister wants to continue to stimulate the availability of more organs and tissues, for example by funding innovative perfusion techniques'..