Advances in medical practice and technology and the success of organ transplantation have resulted in an increased demand for organ donors. However, the number of transplantation is insufficent due to shortage of donor organs. Organ donation ultimately depends on the decision of the deceased's family, and the non-consent of families is the most important reason for the loss of many possible donors. The purpose of this article is to give information about the reasons of denial of consent in the organ donation. For this purpose studies conducted with donor and non-donor families in the organ donation process are examined. The literatüre review indicates that the significant factors associated with denial of consent include: the misunderstanding of brain death; knowledge about the deceased’s wishes; cultural/religious beliefs; and the approach of the individual making the request.
Key words: Organ donation, family consent, brain death