Consent rates on organ donation: Are there discrepancies between representative surveys and the clinical situation - Consent rate on organ donation

In the period under observation, a total of 300 potential deceased organ donors aged 60±20 years (mean with standard deviations) were identified—148 women and 152 men. In 10 cases, it was not possible to reach a decision-maker, and in one case the approval of the public prosecutor was not given. This meant that 289 cases were available for the further analysis. Consent to organ donation was given in 110 cases (38%). Of 43 persons with an advance directive, 30 consented, and among the remaining 246 cases (without advance directive), 80 consented. The advance directive was therefore associated with a significantly higher consent rate (70%). If the patient’s will was expressed in writing or verbally, the consent rate was also higher (49%) than if the patient’s will was unknown (33%), although this effect was no longer significant after Bonferroni correction. If relatives had to decide on the basis of their own values, the consent rate was 10% and was significantly lower than for other decision bases (46%) (Figure). The consent rate was higher for male potential deceased organ donors—42%—than for female ones (31.1%), but this difference did not reach significance (p=0.32).