United Network for Organ Sharing: Organ Donation and Transplantation

History of the UNOS Database

Today, the nation's organ transplant institutions use UNOS' transplantation information database to register patients for transplants, match donated organs to waiting patients, and manage the time-sensitive, life-critical data of all patients, before and after their transplants. The timeline below highlights major milestones in the history of this live-saving database.

1977	First computer-based organ matching system created. The Southeast Organ Procurement Foundation (SEOPF) implements the first computer-based organ matching system, dubbed the "United Network for Organ Sharing."
1984	The United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS) separates from SEOPF and is incorporated as a non-profit, membership organization.
1986	UNOS receives the initial federal contract to operate the Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network (OPTN) and Scientific Registry of Transplant Recipients.
1987	UNOS begins collecting medical data on donor and transplant recipients.
1990	1st major database conversion. UNOS converts waiting list and data forms systems from a legacy mainframe computer system to a relational database.
1992	UNOS publishes the 1991 Report of Center-Specific Graft & Patient Survival Rates report, the first report featuring center-specific outcomes data and transplant survival rates based on UNOS data to be published in the U.S.
1994	2nd major database conversion. UNOS expands the amount of data collected through the data forms.
1996	Introduction of electronic forms submission. Tiedi^®, a client-server application that runs on a Lotus Notes platform, is created. The new application collects data electronically, rather than on paper. System gathers only forms data, but does not include waiting list or match components data. The system eliminates the need for mailing paper forms to the OPTN, but many users continue to submit paper forms.
1999	New application UNet^sm integrates waiting list, donor and recipient matching, and forms data into one unified system. UNet^sm, an Internet-based transplant information database application, is introduced. The new application provides users with easy access to maintain their waiting list, match donors and recipients, and to submit forms data. UNet's new platform provides increased availability, security, and built-in data validation processes. The application also eliminates inefficient data collection and delivery; users submit data electronically, instead of mailing back and forth paper forms that frequently contained erroneous or incomplete data. Rigorous testing and programming ensure complete Year-2000 compliance. A user satisfaction survey conducted on the second year of operation revealed an 85% satisfaction rate with the UNet^sm system.