Education and Ethical Guidance for Organ Donation at the End-of-Life: An Ethical Guidance Statement from the Neurocritical Care Society.

The neurocritical care treatment team frequently interacts with patient surrogates and Organ Procurement Organizations (OPOs) at the end-of-life. A 2025 survey of Neurocritical Care Society (NCS) members assessing experiences and attitudes related to organ donation identified the need to enhance education for the treatment team about organ donation and opportunities for improvement in palliative interventions after withdrawal of life-sustaining therapies for potential donation after cardiac death/death by circulatory-respiratory criteria. Additionally, members noted concerns regarding blurred boundaries between patient care and care directed towards organ donation; a potential lack of transparency, empathy and cultural sensitivity in communication between OPOs and patient surrogates; and the ethics of first-person authorization for organ donation. In response to these concerns, the NCS Ethics Committee developed this statement to provide education and ethical guidance for organ donation at the end-of-life. Members had an opportunity to share feedback on the statement from April 6-19, 2026. This statement provides an informal narrative review of the literature related to organ donation that is pertinent to the care of potential organ donors at the end-of-life and includes practical guidance related to the legal definitions of death and first-person authorization, collaborative communication, and management of potential conflicts.