Causes why organ donation was not carried out despite the deceased being positive to donation

Several studies have shown that over 70% of the population is positive to donate their organs after their death. Despite this it is not unusual for organ donation to be not performed. The aim of this overview was to identify factors that may have an influence on this failure despite the deceased being positive. This is a review of 343 abstracts and 23 scientific publications between 1977 and 2005 dealing with various aspects of donation. In the analysis there were some topics that were associated with the prevention of donation: medical contraindications, inability to identify a potential organ donor and provide optimal medical care, the treatment and care of next of kin, how the question of consent was addressed to the next of kin, the attitude of intensive care unit (ICU) staff toward the process, the behavior of the transplant team during organ recovery. The most crucial act to increase donation is early identification of a potential subject. Early identification and optimal medical care occur more frequent when there is a good, positive attitude of the ICU staff toward the process. A positive attitude of the questioner and good care of the next of kin frequently resulted in a positive attitude when the question of consent was raised. Transplant units could improve the attitude in the ICUs by serving as a good model, giving feedback and education to the ICU staff.