Wow, yesterday’s blog here and in The Punch on Organ donation certainly created plenty of discussion.

It also threw up a large number of questions and misconceptions.

One of the most gruesome myths being perpetuated is that retrieval of organs is done in the same way as an autopsy is carried out with the implication the body is literally carved up.

THAT IS COMPLETELY UNTRUE.

Organ donations are a highly skilled and sensitive procedure and in a lot of instances is keyhole surgery.

A challenge is to fight these myths and misconceptions with the truth.

So here are the answers to the most common questions and comments from yesterday.

Next of kin shouldn’t have the final say.

In Australia, family consent will always be sought before donation can proceed. Your family will have the final say. This is because the hospital staff do not want to cause your family unnecessary distress at a distressing time; or you may have registered your decision some time ago and changed your mind and told your family, but not changed your registration on the Australian Organ Donor Register or your driver’s licence. So talk about your decision to donate with your family and leave them in no doubt about your wishes.

When someone dies in circumstances where they can become an organ donor, the intensive care medical team raises the possibility of donation with the family. Sometimes the family raises the topic of donation themselves. The Australian Organ Donor Register is checked. If the person registered ‘no', donation will not proceed.

If the person registered ‘yes' or had not registered, a DonateLife donor coordinator will meet the family to talk about donation. The family is given time to make a decision. If they agree to donation, there is some paperwork to confirm the donation and which organs and tissue may be retrieved. After the organs and tissues are donated, the donor coordinator keeps in touch with the family to tell them about the success of the transplants and to provide support for them during their time of grief.

Consent for organ donation is governed by statute in Australia but differs between states. In most states the next of kin control whether the deceased’s organs are donated even if a wish is registered. This is based on a hierarchy system with the most senior next of kin’s wishes taking effect. However, if a next of kin objects and another next of kin on the same level consents, the objection overrules the consent. To safeguard against this actuality, we suggest appointing a medical power of attorney who will uphold your wishes, if you wish to safeguard your decision.

I’m too old to donate.

You're never too old to be a donor. Anyone can donate organs and tissue. People in their eighties have saved the lives of much younger people. Transplant professionals decide which organs and tissues can be used at the time of death after looking at your past medical history, the condition of your organs and their suitability

I’m too sick or unhealthy to donate.

You can still be a donor even if you drink or smoke, are overweight or have a chronic condition. There's every chance that some of your organs and tissues will be suitable for donation. Only some medical conditions may prevent you from being a donor, such as transmissible diseases like HIV.

. People who have Hepatitis C should still register their decision to be an organ and tissue donor and discuss their decision with those close to them as they could be able to donate organs and tissue to other people with Hepatitis C. All people with Hepatitis are still potentially able to become organ and tissue donors.

. Although you may not be able to donate organs, people with cancer have been able to donate tissue.

. If you've lived in the UK between the years of 1980 - 1996, you may still be able to donate your organs but not your tissues.

My body will be used for scientific research

Donated tissues and organs will never be used for medical research unless explicit written permission is given by your family. If any organ or tissue that has been donated is unable to be transplanted and your family are not comfortable donating to a research program, they can choose to have the organ or tissue returned to their loved one's body or respectfully disposed of.

It is possible to donate your body to science after or if organ and tissue donation is not possible. Donation for science is handled directly by Universities. Each University donation program is different and may or may not be able to arrange to receive a body after organ donation has proceeded, if this is your wish. You would need to contact each University to ask them about their arrangements.

Can people in remote areas still be donors?

Retrieval of organs and tissues occurs all across Australia in both regional and metropolitan hospitals.

For potential donors that are outside metropolitan areas, in general the transplant teams try and organise organ retrievals in local hospitals, and so the specialist doctors will travel great distances to go to hospitals in regional areas to facilitate the wishes of families who find themselves in this terrible circumstance.

Having said that, there are sometimes technical issues which mean that a transfer to a larger centre is required, but the teams try and go out rather than make family move towns at such a challenging time.

Could there be financial incentives for donors?

There must be no evidence of coercion, monetary payment or reward and a living donor must have full knowledge of the risks and benefits of the donation. Becoming a donor is an altruistic act of generosity.

My religion means that I can’t donate.

Most religions, including all major religions, support organ and tissue donation and transplantation as acts of generosity and merit because they benefit others. For more information on religion and organ and tissue donation you can visit: http://www.donatelife.gov.au/Discover/Religion--donation.html

One of the key ways of increasing the donation rate in Australia is by increasing the family consent rate to ensure that as many potential donors in Australia have their wishes upheld by their family as possible.

One of the main ways that the Organ and Tissue Authority aims to increase the consent rate is by working to normalise family discussion about organ and tissue donation, so that all families discuss and know each others donation wishes. The most important thing that a family needs to know to consent for donation to proceed for a loved one is the loved ones wishes.

The percentage of people who had had the discussion about organ and tissue donation with their family in the past twelve months is 58%. This was an increase of 10% from before the launch of the new DonateLife national campaign, and 83% of these discussions were rated as memorable.

This has been a strong result, but there is still improvement to be made, which is why the ongoing national DonateLife advertising campaign continues to encourage all Australians to discuss their organ and tissue donation wishes with those close to them.

We want a family discussion on organ and tissue donation to be the norm for all Australians.