Recommendations for further improvement of the deceased organ donation process in Belgium.
Belgium has achieved high deceased organ donation rates but according to the medical record data in the Donor Action database, deceased potential donors are still missed along the pathway. Between 2010 and 2014, 12.9 ± 3.3% of the potential donors after brain death (DBD) and 24.6 ± 1.8% of the potential donors after circulatory (DCD) death were not identified. Conversion rates of 41.7 ± 2.1% for DBD and 7.9 ± 0.9% for DCD indicate room for further improvement. We identify and discuss different issues in the monitoring of donation activities, practices and outcomes; donor pool; legislation on deceased organ donation; registration; financial reimbursement; educational and training programs; donor detection and practice clinical guidance. The overall aim of this position paper, elaborated by a Belgian expert panel, is to provide recommendations for further improvement of the deceased organ donation process up to organ procurement in Belgium.
a Department of General Internal Medicine , Ghent University Hospital , Ghent , Belgium.|b Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences , Ghent University , Ghent , Belgium.|c Department of Intensive Care , General Hospital Sint-Lucas , Ghent , Belgium.
Pieter
P
Hoste
d Surgical and Transplantation ICU , University Hospitals Leuven , Leuven , Belgium.
Patrick
P
Ferdinande
e Department of Intensive Care Medicine , Ghent University Hospital , Ghent , Belgium.|f Research Foundation - Flanders (FWO) , Egmontstraat, Brussels , Belgium.
Eric
E
Hoste
g Department of Public Health and Primary Care , Leuven Institute for Healthcare Policy, KU Leuven - University of Leuven , Leuven , Belgium.|h Department of Quality Management , University Hospitals Leuven , Leuven , Belgium.|i European Pathway Association , Kapucijnenvoer , Leuven , Belgium.
Kris
K
Vanhaecht
b Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences , Ghent University , Ghent , Belgium.|j Department of Transplant Surgery , Ghent University Hospital , Ghent , Belgium.
Xavier
X
Rogiers
b Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences , Ghent University , Ghent , Belgium.
Kristof
K
Eeckloo
k Department of Transplant Surgery , Cliniques Universitaires Saint-Luc , Brussels , Belgium.
Dominique
D
Van Deynse
l Department of Anesthesia and Intensive Care Medicine , Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Liege , Liège , Belgium.
Didier
D
Ledoux
b Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences , Ghent University , Ghent , Belgium.|m Department of Internal Medicine , Ghent University , Ghent , Belgium.
Koenraad
K
Vandewoude
a Department of General Internal Medicine , Ghent University Hospital , Ghent , Belgium.|b Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences , Ghent University , Ghent , Belgium.|m Department of Internal Medicine , Ghent University , Ghent , Belgium.
Dirk
D
Vogelaers
D001530:Belgium; D001926:Brain Death; D006801:Humans; D014019:Tissue Donors; D009927:Tissue and Organ Procurement / Q000458:organization & administration / Q000592:standards / Q000706:statistics & numerical data
Critical care; Deceased donation; Donation after brain death; Donation after circulatory death; Tissue and organ procurement