ETHICAL ISSUES IN PSYCHOLOGICAL EVALUATION OF PATIENTS FOR ORGAN TRANSPLANT SURGERY

Psychological assessment of patients seeking organ transplant surgery presents the potential for ethical conflict. Confidentiality, informed consent, multiple loyalties, dual relationships, social justice, coll aboration with families, responsibilities to donors, honesty, and avoi dance of imposition of irrelevant moral values are discussed as they r elate to the psychologist's relationship to the patient and to the ent erprise of organ transplantation. Relevant standards from the Ethical Principles of Psychologists and the Code of Conduct of the American Ps ychological Association are applied, as are principles from biomedical ethics.