[Reasons for the low organ donation rate in Germany]

The number of organ donations in Germany decreased by 32.3% between 2010 and 2017. For this reason, more than 1500 fewer organ transplantations were performed in 2017 than in 2010.

What are the causes of this development?

Analysis of available statistics and scientific publications.

A decline of the organ donation potential can be ruled out as the cause of the declining organ donation figures, since the number of patients who were eligible for organ donation from a medical point of view increased during the period under consideration. Similarly, there is no indication that a change in the population's attitude towards organ donation can be held responsible for this development. The decline is rather due to a recognition and reporting deficit of potential organ donors. The extent of this deficit differs considerably between different hospitals and is not only responsible for the decline in the donor rate in recent years, but also for the low donor numbers in Germany by international standards.

The low organ donation figures in Germany are due to a recognition and reporting deficit. The number of organ donations could be considerably increased by improving the internal processes in hospitals.