Assessing Organ Donation from the Dead Should Not Be Done by Reporting a Census of the Living

Investigating Geographic Variation in Mortality in the Context of Organ Donation

“…Our findings are consistent with previously published studies (1,3,(12)(13)(14)(15) and suggest that using living population to estimate organ donor potential should be reevaluated. Differences in organ availability by region appear to be due at least in part to varying death rates of patients 70 years and younger from CVA and traumatic causes.…”

Availability of Lungs for Transplantation: Exploring the Real Potential of the Donor Pool

“…22 A country's age profile and age-standardized mortality rates for eligible causes of death must be considered. 23 It has been pointedly noted that national donation potential should be based on a "census of the dead, not the living." 22,23 State and regional differences in donation rates can also vary according to local issues, including hospital size and ethnic variations.…”

Benchmarking performance in organ donation programs: Dependence on demographics and mortality rates

“…Although it is a commonly-used benchmark, it may not truly reflect the effectiveness of a program from one region or country to another, nor the reality of the donation demographics. 10 The National Coordinating Committee for Organ and Tissue Donation set a target goal for Canada of a crude cadaveric donor rate of 25 DPMP. 11 If the death rates observed in the CHR are consistent across Canada, this rate may not be feasible.…”