Study: Rate of Consent to Organ Donation Varies Widely Among Hospitals

The rate at which the next-of-kin of potential organ donors consent to donation varies widely from hospital to hospital, and in some cases is surprisingly low even at medical centers that have transplant programs, according to a federal audit.

A study by the Inspector General of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, which analyzed data from 190 of the nation's 255 organ transplant hospitals, found that on average just over half of the patients eligible to be organ donors upon death actually became donors.

The study defined eligible organ donors as people age 70 or younger who were declared brain dead and did not have diseases that typically make them ineligible for donation such as tuberculosis, HIV or hepatitis.

While 30 of the hospitals in the report had consent rates to donation that were above 70 percent, the inspector general said 18 of the hospitals had consent rates below 30 percent.

The study calculated that if these lagging hospitals brought their donation rates just up to the 51 percent average, an extra 450 organs would have been available for transplantation to patients during the 16-month study period from August 2001 to November 2002.

Some of the underperforming hospitals were clustered geographically. The four New Jersey transplant hospitals included in the report all had rates below 30 percent.

"However, it is important to note that overall, transplant centers have a slightly higher consent rate than do other hospitals," the Inspector General added.

Other Sources: DHHS