Potential donor audit feasibility study report

Organ donation saves lives and improves the quality of life for people with end-stage organ failure. It involves the selflessness and compassion of organ donors and their families supported by dedicated frontline organ donation personnel (ODP) and Organ Donation Transplant Ireland (ODTI). Out of 72 countries worldwide, Ireland ranks 28th in terms of organ donation rates (Global Observatory on Donation and Transplantation, 2021). Rates of organ donation are 18 per million population (pmp) in Ireland compared to 25 pmp in the United Kingdom (UK) and in excess of 45 pmp in Spain. Rates and ranking of organ donation rates is an area of significant public interest.

The European Union (EU) Council Directive 2010/45/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council of 7 July 2010 on standards of quality and safety of human organs intended for transplantation and Statutory Instrument (SI) No. 325 of 2012 require the Health Service Executive (HSE) to provide publicly available information on procurement and transplant activities annually. Furthermore, the Human Tissue (Transplantation, Post-Mortem, Anatomical Examination, and Public Display) Bill 2018 will provide for an organ donation register in Ireland. This has implications for the HSE ODP in the processes leading to organ donation. There are numerous international recommendations for the development of audit for deceased donations (Committee of Ministers, 2006; ODEQUS, 2014). Examples of audit in other jurisdictions have demonstrated improvements in care processes and organ donation rates.

ODTI commissioned the National Office of Clinical Audit (NOCA) to undertake a feasibility study to appraise the need for a national clinical audit of organ donation practices. The objective was to complete a review of national and international datasets on organ donation and, to identify processes of care prone to variation that are responsive to measurement and improvement.