Introduction: Achieving maximum donation from deceased organ donors (DOD) is imperative for ensuring accessibility to transplantation. Hospital development strategies are pivotal in empowering hospital staff to effectively implement the DOD process within donor hospitals. In-hospital donor coordinators play a crucial role in organ donation and retrieval processes, as well as identifying and implementing enhancements.
Methods: Hospital development strategies in the UAE involved several interventions across selected donor hospitals in 2023. These included establishing donor hospital committees led by hospital executives, conducting monthly reviews of missed donation opportunities by hospital mortality committees, appointing ICU directors as key personnel for donation, partially assigning ICU nurses with organ donor coordinator responsibilities, deploying Organ Procurement Organization (OPO) nurses to main donor hospitals, organizing in-hospital seminars and awareness campaigns, and developing policies and Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) related to organ donation (OD).
Results: The intervention engaged 18 hospitals in DOD hospital development. The strategies notably increased early identification and referral of potential donors, with 38% of referrals originating from these hospitals. Additionally, there was a notable rise in brain death diagnoses and family interviews for organ donation compared to hospitals not involved in the strategies. The time from referral to family approach decreased significantly from 10 days to 3 days. Consequently, the actual donation rate in the UAE increased from 5.5 per million population (DPMP) in 2022 to 9.16 DPMP in 2023.
Conclusions: Organ donation is a complex hospital process that necessitates strong leadership and coordination among various stakeholders. Successful models revolve around the implementation of efficient hospital development strategies. These findings underscore the significance of tailored interventions within donor hospitals to optimize deceased organ donation and transplantation outcomes.