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

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.

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