New AOK app facilitates entry for organ donation for insured persons in Berlin

New AOK app facilitates entry for organ donation for insured persons in Berlin

public awareness of organ donations through digital innovation

The introduction of a new function in the "AOK Mein Life" app is a significant step towards promoting organ donation in Germany. Insured persons of the AOK is now available to make their willingness to make decisions on organ and tissue donations directly in the online register of the Federal Institute for Medicines and Medical Devices (BFARM). This development takes place against the background of an increasing need for donor organs and an even inadequate awareness among the population.

The AOK reacts to the low use of the organ donation register so far. In just three months, only 145,000 people, which corresponds to around 0.2 percent of the population from the age of 16, have their decision on organ donation. Dr. Carola Reimann, a member of the board of the AOK, sees enormous potential to increase the number of donors and appeals to the insured to clearly and unmistakably capture their attitude.

The new function requires registration with a digital identity, the healthid. This digital access should make it easier for users to easily put down their organ donation decisions. This relieves the determination of the alleged will in traumatic times, as in the event of death, since relatives no longer have to search for an organ donation card.

With the planned introduction of the so-called "EPA for all" in early 2025, it is also expected that the use of the app and thus also the entries in the organ donation register will increase. The app also offers access to the electronic patient file and the management of e-recipes, which makes it a central tool for the health care of the insured.

It is important to emphasize that the entry in the organ donation register is voluntary and can be changed or revoked at any time. This register was launched in order to ensure a clear documentation of the willingness to make decisions and thus reduce the existing uncertainties. From July 2024, transplantation centers are obliged to query this central data record before making decisions about possible organ donation.

With the digitization of health services through apps such as "AOK Mein Life", hope is nourished that the issue of organ donation is increasingly in public awareness. An active examination of the personal willingness to donate organ and tissue can make a decisive contribution to saving life and shortening the waiting times for transplants.

By combining user -friendliness and a strategic communication campaign, the AOK could make a significant contribution to increasing organ donation in Germany and strengthen the social level for this sensitive topic.