How is organ transplantation depicted in internal medicine and transplantation journals

BMC Medical Ethics

Marie-Chantal Fortin³  Hubert Doucet¹  Yves Chabot¹  Andrée Duplantie¹  Céline Durand² 

[1] Bioethics Department, Université de Montréal, Downtown Station, P.O. Box 6128, Montreal, QC H3C 3J7, Canada;Centre de recherche du CHUM, Hôpital Notre-Dame, Pavillon J.-A.-de-Sève, 2099 Alexandre de Sève Street, Montreal, QC H2L 2W5, Canada;Transplant and Nephrology Division, Centre hospitalier de l’Université de Montréal, Hôpital Notre-Dame, 1560 Sherbrooke Street East, Montreal, QC H2L 4M1, Canada

关键词: Thematic content analysis;    Transplantation journals;    Medical journals;    Ethical issues;    Organ transplantation;   

Others  :  1090187
DOI  :  10.1186/1472-6939-14-39

 received in 2013-03-13, accepted in 2013-09-24,  发布年份 2013

【 摘 要 】

Background

In their book Spare Parts, published in 1992, Fox and Swazey criticized various aspects of organ transplantation, including the routinization of the procedure, ignorance regarding its inherent uncertainties, and the ethos of transplant professionals. Using this work as a frame of reference, we analyzed articles on organ transplantation published in internal medicine and transplantation journals between 1995 and 2008 to see whether Fox and Swazey’s critiques of organ transplantation were still relevant.

Methods

Using the PubMed database, we retrieved 1,120 articles from the top ten internal medicine journals and 4,644 articles from the two main transplantation journals (Transplantation and American Journal of Transplantation). Out of the internal medicine journal articles, we analyzed those in which organ transplantation was the main topic (349 articles). A total of 349 articles were randomly selected from the transplantation journals for content analysis.

Results

In our sample, organ transplantation was described in positive terms and was presented as a routine treatment. Few articles addressed ethical issues, patients’ experiences and uncertainties related to organ transplantation. The internal medicine journals reported on more ethical issues than the transplantation journals. The most important ethical issues discussed were related to the justice principle: organ allocation, differential access to transplantation, and the organ shortage.

Conclusion

Our study provides insight into representations of organ transplantation in the transplant and general medical communities, as reflected in medical journals. The various portrayals of organ transplantation in our sample of articles suggest that Fox and Swazey’s critiques of the procedure are still relevant.

【 授权许可】

   
2013 Durand et al.; licensee BioMed Central Ltd.

【 图 表 】

Figure 1.

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