ORGAN AND TISSUE RETENTION
Scoping review into psychological aspects of organ and tissue retention
Background
The Department of Health brief requested a preliminary scan of the literature relating to the psychological aspects of organ and tissue retention. The purpose of this exercise was to identify the extent and levels of available evidence, in order to determine the feasibility of a full systematic review of the topic area.Findings
Overall, there appears to be very little literature that is likely to be relevant to the review question. Although there are a large number of papers dealing with the psychological aspects of organ/tissue removal, these mainly relate to the issue of transplantation. The small amount of literature that relates to autopsy does not necessarily appear to focus on the issue of the retention of organs and tissues, but often deals with other general feelings about death and the care relatives receive from medical services. In conclusion, there is likely to be very little data suitable for inclusion in a systematic review of the topic area, and primary research may provide a more suitable option.
Conducted by: CRDPublications
Forbes C, Glanville J, Kleijnen J. Psychological aspects of organ and tissue retention: a scoping review. York: University of York; 2002Funding
The DH Policy Research Programme funded designated review capacity to enable CRD to provide a timely response to PRP requests for reviews. This review was undertaken as part of that funding.