Program development and routine notification in a large, independent OPO: a 12-year review

Area of Science:

• Transplantation Science
• Public Health Policy
• Healthcare Management

Background:

• Organ donor recovery rates are critical for transplantation success.
• Many Organ Procurement Organizations (OPOs) face challenges in maintaining or increasing donor numbers.
• Sustained growth in organ donation is essential to meet transplantation demands.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the impact of implementing a routine hospital death notification system on organ donor recovery.
• To assess the effectiveness of focused management and hospital system development in increasing organ donors.
• To analyze the growth trends of an independent OPO over a decade.

Main Methods:

• Implementation of a 24-hour communications center and routine notification of all hospital deaths.
• Analysis of organ donor and referral data before and after the implementation of the new system.
• Comparison of OPO growth rates with national averages and preceding years.

Main Results:

• Routine notification led to a 691% increase in total referrals and a 16% increase in organ donors.
• Significant increases were also observed in bone (149%), skin (123%), and heart valve (78%) donors.
• The 16% organ donor increase was double the national growth rate and surpassed the OPO's prior year growth (2%).

Conclusions:

• Routine hospital death notification is a highly effective strategy for increasing organ donor referrals and actual donors.
• Focused OPO management, organizational development, and hospital marketing contribute to sustained growth in organ recovery.
• The implemented system demonstrates a successful model for OPOs to overcome donor recovery challenges and achieve significant, sustained growth.