Challenges of organ donation: potential donors for transplantation in an area of Brazil’s northeast

Abstract

Background. New strategies to manage the pool of potential donors are needed to increase organ donation rates. The purpose of the study was to identify the main causes of lack of organ donation and to identify the sociodemographic and clinical profiles of potential organ donors in an area of northeastern Brazil. Methods. We conducted a cross-sectional, retrospective, observational study between November 2015 and January 2017. Results. A total of 150 potential donors were included in the sample. The main cause of death among potential donors was hemorrhagic stroke (35.3%). Hypertension was the most prevalent comorbidity (25.6%). Family member’s refusal was cited as the most common reason for not performing organ donation (49.4%). Among the causes of family member’s refusal, the most prevalent was declaration of non-consent in life (23%), followed by family disagreement (20.3%). Conclusion. There is clearly a need for public educational efforts with regard to organ donation. Educational advertising campaigns can help improve the authorization rate of organ donation