Success Factors for Social Systems to Increase the Number of Organ Donations—From the Perspectives of Mechanisms and Organizational Behaviors

Deceased organ donation is much less prominent in Japan than it is in Western and other Asian countries. Because a shortage of organ donation is a serious social issue in Japan, various solutions to the issue have been considered. Although it was believed that the most critical factor in the organ shortage was the absence of a well-established social system, no prior studies attempted to analyze the issue from the perspective of the mechanisms and organizational behaviors. To identify common success factors of increasing organ donation, we conducted a qualitative survey in 5 countries promoting organ donations on a national level and increasing the number of organ donations. We found several important common factors: 1) to change from an explicit consent system to a presumed consent system with establishment of an appropriate in-hospital system, 2) to increase the level of job satisfaction of healthcare professionals and help them generating better results, 3) to demonstrate managements’ leadership for all staff to realize the importance of organ donations, 4) to establish an environment where medical professionals engaged in organ donations can appreciate autonomous working styles, the recognition of the importance of the work. It is suggested that these successful factors are introduced into Japan with long-, mid-term strategy to enhance organ donation.