Empower the Science of Organ Donation by Multidisciplinary Collaboration

Abstract

Inter-discipline is formed by the interpenetration and integration of multiple disciplines, which has become a notable trend involving interdisciplinary activities and a combination of research and development. Learned from experience worldwide, the management mode for organ donation and procurement activities varies among countries, but the core of the disciplinary construction of organ donation remains the same. The theoretical basis and practice of organ donation is not purely a matter of coordination, but its ground of knowledge is built upon multidisciplinary integration and its implementation relies on a joint-effort approach and requires collaboration of multiple teams. From the sociological viewpoint, organ donation represents the gift of life for transplant patients, which founds the key element in enhancing the harmony of society. While, from a practical perspective, its professionalism has been widely recognized by the international medical community. As a complex medical and social act, organ donation is a medical-centered subject with sociological, humanistic, ethical, psychologic, and juristic attributes. This chapter will provide an overview of how multidisciplinary collaboration empowers the science of organ donation, followed by the summary of recent efforts taken in China in pursuit of this goal as an example.