Program Development and Routine Notification in a Large, Independent OPO: A 12-Year Review

Review of the Literature Shafer et al21 reported some of the first OPO benchmarking data available to the industry on what might result from successful organ recovery in defined geographic service areas. Evans1 reported that the potential for organ donation in the United States ranges from 27.6 to 42.8 donors per million population (pmp); according to Gortmaker et al,23 the potential ranges from 27.6 to 42.8 donors pmp. Nathan et al24 found that the potential donor pool in Pennsylvania in 1987 ranged from 38.3 to 55.2 donors pmp. Although OPOs have steadily applied numerous resources and countless hours in an attempt to maximize this potential, donation rates in the United States have stalled around 21 donors pmp, with OPOs in the upper quartile of production achieving greater than 24 donors pmp.25 The growth of organ recovery is stagnated for many reasons. Two of the reasons—lack of donor identification and lack of consent by families of the Program development and routine notification in a large, independent OPO: a 12-year review