[Possibly fewer donors due to decreasing hospital mortality rates]

Over the past ten years, the mortality rate at the Amphia Hospital in the Netherlands has decreased and the average age at death has increased significantly. This downward trend in hospital mortality rates is a national trend in the Netherlands. In addition, in recent years road traffic fatalities have steadily decreased. Both trends have had a significant impact on the availability of potential organ and tissue donors. Currently the main barriers to donation are the limited number of registrations in the donor registry and obtaining permission from relatives. To achieve the maximum number of donors, several initiatives must be undertaken. These include hospitals encouraging registration in the donor registry, training of professionals in communication skills concerning donation, increasing opportunities for organ donations in the emergency department and recruiting donors extramurally. If no measures are taken, a decreasing number of patients with end-stage organ failure will be able to profit from organ transplantation.