While building up a tissue donation program at the Institute of Legal Medicine in Hamburg we had to organize the contact to the deceased's close relatives and to develop guidelines for an appropriate approach. Loosing a family member may cause intense psychological reactions as an Acute Stress Disorder (ICD-10F43.0). An "Informed Consent", according to the German Tissue Law, requires a good emotional contact, enough time and a detailed discussion on donation between the tissue coordinator and the contacted next of kin. A reliable decision for tissue donation can activate the coping strategies of the deceased s family.
