Introduction of the opt-out solution in organ donation has significantly increased the donation rate in Wales. According to an Ifo Institute analysis, the rate has risen by an average of 34 percent, it was published on Thursday.
“Wales and Germany are very similar in terms of health expenditures, population structure, and organ donation rates before the change” said Ifo researcher Selina Schulze Spüntrup. “Therefore, we can assume that a similar increase in the donation rate is also possible in Germany after a switch to the opt-out solution.”
The organ donation rate in Wales averaged 15.6 donors per million inhabitants over the four years after the introduction of the opt-out solution. If Wales had continued with the opt-in solution, the rate would have been 11.6, according to Ifo. This would mean that the number of organ donors per year would increase from 36 to 49.
“Assuming an average of 3.5 organs donated per donor, this could result in up to 47 additional patients being treated per year. The positive effect of the opt-out solution only becomes apparent with a one-year delay” said Schulze Spüntrup. Despite this, the demand for organ donations remains high. Currently, there are 268 patients on the waiting list in Wales.
Under the opt-out solution, everyone is considered a potential organ donor unless they explicitly object, whereas under the opt-in solution, explicit consent is required for an organ donation. Wales switched from the opt-in to the opt-out solution in 2015.
The study uses the synthetic control method to compare the actual increase in organ donations in Wales since 2015 with a hypothetical scenario without the change.