Allocating organ transplant services: What can be learned from the United States experience?

Issues concerning organ procurement and transplantation in the United States are described and related to the Canadian health care environment. Although the United States has a national organ procurement system and national transplant guidelines are in place, many complications exist regarding the allocation of organ transplant services. Current proposals to increase organ donation are critiqued and new guidelines are proposed for the organ transplantation system. These guidelines help to protect the right of access to these health resources among the socially or economically disadvantaged. Given the similarities between the United States and Canada in terms of population demographics and medical treatment protocols, these guidelines are applicable to both countries in order to more appropriately blend economic and ethical criteria to allocate organ transplantation services more efficiently and effectively.