Potential Donor Audit Report published

Potential Donor Audit Feasibility Study Published by NOCA

The National Office of Clinical Audit (NOCA) has announced the publication of the Potential Donor Audit Development (PDA) Project Report (7/9/23). This report was commissioned by ODTI, Organ Donation Transplant Ireland HSE in order to develop a national clinical audit of organ donation practices in Ireland. During the development project, data were collected on a pilot basis in six intensive care units (ICUs) between November 2022 and February 2023.

The report highlights areas of practice where improvements may lead to an increase in the numbers of people who could have become organ donors if that had been their wish. The report highlights the feasibility of conducting a PDA in all acute Irish hospitals with Intensive Care Units and Emergency Departments. This report will also inform any future national implementation of the audit.

Dr. Alan Gaffney  

Consultant Intensivist & Anaesthesiologist at Beaumont Hospital Dublin 

“Organ donation happens because of the generosity of people who die in our ICUs. It also happens because the healthcare system and those that work in it recognise the rare opportunities for organ donation that present themselves and manage the whole donation process in a professional and sensitive way. This audit shows how well the process is working in our ICUs but also identifies areas for improvement. Organ donation is such a rare event that any missed opportunity needs to be identified and learned from. By auditing our practice we can continue to modify how we work to reach our goal of offering the possibility of organ donation to every person who dies in circumstances where organ donation is a possibility and where that would have been the person’s wishes”. Dr Alan Gaffney, Clinical Lead for the Potential Donor Audit Development Project.