Best practices for high organ donation rates
December 1, 2004 less than 1 minute read
1. Orient organizational mission and goals toward increasing organ donation.
2. Do not be satisfied with the status quo; innovate and experiment continuously.
3. Strive to recruit and retain highly motivated and skilled staff.
4. Appoint members to OPO board who can help achieve organ donation goals.
5. Specialize roles to maximize performance.
6. Tailor or adapt the organ donation process to complementary strengths of OPO and individual hospitals.
7. Integrate OPO staff into the fabric of high-potential hospitals.
8. Identify and support organ donation champions at various hospital levels; include leaders who are willing to be called upon to overcome barriers to organ donation in real time.
9. Secure and maintain buy-in at all levels of hospital staff and across departments/functions that affect organ donation.
10. Educate constantly — tailor and accommodate to staff needs, requests, and constraints.
11. Design, implement, and monitor public education and outreach efforts to achieve informed consent and other donation
goals.
12. Anticipate — don’t hesitate, and call early even when in doubt.
13. Draw on respective OPO and hospital strengths to establish an integrated consent process. One size does not fit all, but getting to an informed "yes" is paramount.
14. Use data to drive decision making.
15. Follow up in a timely and systematic manner. Don’t let any issues fester.
Source: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services; 2003.
Fifteen ideas from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services on increasing organ donation.
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