The Swedish National Donor Register

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Transplantation Medicine
• Bioethics

Background:

• Public registration with the National Donor Register indicates societal need and acceptance.
• Sweden's opt-out transplant law suggests potential overrepresentation of objectors in the register.
• The register's establishment coincided with a decline in cadaver donors, with numbers remaining unchanged post-implementation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess public acceptance and the operational status of the Swedish National Donor Register.
• To evaluate the register's role within the framework of Sweden's opt-out organ donation legislation.
• To determine the register's safety and utility for medical professionals involved in organ procurement.

Main Methods:

• Comparison of opinions from the first 300,000 National Donor Register registrants with a contemporaneous public attitude survey.
• Review of guidelines from the Board concerning mandatory consultation of the register for potential donors.
• Assessment of compliance with rulings from the Swedish Data Inspection Board.

Main Results:

• The register is widely accepted and utilized by licensed procurement coordinators.
• A higher proportion of objectors were found in the register compared to the general public, confirming expectations based on the opt-out system.
• The Swedish National Donor Register is confirmed to be safe and operational.

Conclusions:

• Governmental bodies are responsible for deciding on the establishment of donor registers.
• Government agencies and healthcare professionals must design and continuously supervise the safe operation of registries.
• The Swedish National Donor Register effectively meets its objectives and operates safely.