The National Office of Clinical Audit (NOCA), in conjunction with Organ Donation Transplant Ireland, has announced plans for the national expansion of the Irish Potential Donor Audit (IPDA) to every Intensive Care Unit (ICU) and Emergency Department across the country on a phased basis.
The rollout marks a pivotal extension of the audit, previously piloted successfully in six hospitals, where organ donation nurse managers and clinical leads in organ donation pioneered the project. The first phase sees an ambitious scale-up to an additional seven ICUs, totalling thirteen institutions committed to improving organ donation practices. Phase two aims to include all remaining ICUs and phase three will seek to include Emergency Departments following extensive engagement with Emergency Medicine personnel.
Key Developments include:
- The appointment of a dedicated Audit Manager.
- The launch of innovative NOCA dashboards that provide hospitals with access to vital organ donation data to drive improvement.
- The publication of a report on 2024 data, scheduled for 2025, featuring quality improvement stories and actionable recommendations.
Dr Alan Gaffney, Consultant Anaesthesiologist and Intensivist Beaumont Hospital and Clinical Lead for the Irish Potential Donor Audit said, “The national rollout of the Irish Potential Donor Audit is a very welcome development for all those involved in caring for organ donors and their families. Our aim is to offer the possibility of organ donation to everyone who dies in circumstances where organ donation is a possibility and where it was that person’s wish. Auditing organ donation practices and processes by local organ donation nurses has been shown to increase organ donation opportunities.” .
This expansive rollout follows comprehensive development and feasibility studies, including the 2023 Potential Donor Audit Development Project Report and the 2022 Feasibility Project Report. Additionally, a supplementary data report updating the 2023 development project report findings for the full calendar year will be available on the NOCA website in the second quarter of 2024. This will provide valuable information to the healthcare system to drive improvement in organ donation.
