Economic trends and organ donation rates in the USA: An ecological analysis

Abstract

The ecological association between several economic indicators and organ donation rates in the USA were examined for the years 1988 to 2012. A strong, positive correlation was identified between GDP per capita and all organ donation rates, except for heart donation, for which a strong, negative correlation was found. These results suggest that economic downturns may be associated with reductions in organ availability, except for heart allografts.