Impact of Capacity Building in the Organ Donation Activity During an International Society of Nephrology The Transplantation Society Sister Transplant Center (ISN-TTS STC) Partnership.

This article explores the impact of a partnership program involving the International Society of Nephrology-The Transplantation Society, the Southern Philippines Medical Center, and the University of Barcelona. The program included capacity building and partnership with the Donation and Transplant Institute, leading to the creation of 5 Intermediate Transplant Procurement Management courses for Southern Philippines Medical Center's healthcare professionals. The study analyzed organ donation activity and training records from 2016 to 2022, dividing the periods pre- and postSister Transplant Center partnership, and further subdividing to assess the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. Results showed an increase of 474.39% in donor referrals by 2019, which then dropped significantly during the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2022, a reimplementation of training opportunities led to a 657% increase in referrals. Capacity building through education, training, and partnerships has a direct and positive impact on organ donation activity, even in the face of challenging circumstances like a global pandemic.

"Train the Trainers" Program to Improve Knowledge, Attitudes and Perceptions About Organ Donation in the European Union and Neighbouring Countries: Pre- and Post- Data Analysis of the EUDONORGAN Project.

EUDONORGAN, a European Union-funded project to improve organ and tissue donation, included a blended-based "Train the Trainers" program, which was implemented with the support of an international consortium from Croatia, Italy, Slovenia, and Spain. The web-based training included seven modules for which medical aspects, educational tips, and practical activities were scored using a 5-point Likert scale. The overall mean scores of satisfaction were higher than 4 for each module, without significant differences between HCPs and OKPs. In the face-to-face training survey similar scores above 4 were obtained for most items. Knowledge acquisition improved significantly in both HCPs and OKPs, as well as in transplant/donor coordinators, medical doctors, registered nurses, anesthesiologists/intensivists, and intensive care nurses. Improvements in attitudes and perceptions regarding organ donation were also observed, particularly among HCPs. In the accomplishment of the learning process, a successful pass mark of 95% was obtained. The "Train the Trainers" program was associated with an improvement in learning and attitudes of healthcare and non-healthcare professionals for the benefit of organ and tissue donation.

I-DTI, a Second-Opinion Platform Related to Organ Donation and Transplant Between Health Care Professionals.

OBJECTIVES: The COVID-19 pandemic led to a decline in donation and transplant programs worldwide. Telehealth was explored as a strategy to continue organ procurement activity. The aim of this project was to develop and test I-DTI, an online medical platform for health care professionals specialized in the field of organ donation and transplant, that provides second-opinion consultancy and instant-messaging services. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The Donation and Transplantation Institute (DTI Foundation), in collaboration with the developers of an operative communication engine (Medxat/Be-Hit), designed the I-DTI platform, via a web-based application. I-DTI contents were created by the DTI Foundation medical team and international experts in organ donation and transplantation. I-DTI was launched in 2020 in a 6-month pilot phase, in which hospitals from India (Kerala), Philippines, Trinidad and Tobago, and Sri Lanka were included. In the pilot phase, about 60 health care professionals were involved and >20 international experts were enrolled to respond to incoming inquiries. The following topics were considered for this review: organ donation, organ transplantation, transplant follow-up, tissue donation, and COVID-19. Data collected were entered anonymously into an encrypted database for academic purposes. A survey was then conducted for all users to improve its acceptance and feasibility. RESULTS: On average, the second-opinion service was consulted 2 times per week by the participants, and experts' opinions were delivered in <24 hours. An intuitive user interface led participants to use the messaging service daily. Active dissemination contributed to I-DTI growth, achieving 300 users from >20 countries within the first year. CONCLUSIONS: I-DTI has proved to be a feasible tool to support health care professionals, for knowledge exchange and communication, ensuring access to international best practices. Nevertheless, it is imperative that medical providers actively encourage the use of innovative solutions available, especially in the areas with restricted access to knowledge.

Leadership, management, quality, and innovation in organ donation: 2019 Kunming recommendations for One Belt & One Road countries.

The findings and recommendations of the 2019 consensus conference in organ donation, held in Kunming, China, are here reported. The main objective of the conference was to gather relevant information from experts involved in the field. The data and opinions provided allowed to propose a series of recommendations for "One Belt & One Road Countries" on how to achieve self-sufficiency in organ donation. Leadership in organ donation should be results-oriented and goal-driven based on the principles of excellence, empowerment, and engagement, providing the means, resources, and strategies necessary to reach the goal in earnest. Management includes good governance and transparency of a national registry of patients in the waiting list, donors, transplants, transplant teams, quality, and safety programs with continuous educational training of health care professionals. Mandatory monitoring, auditing and evaluation of quality must be incorporated into donation practices as relevant points in innovation, as well as the adoption of already established and novel processes and technologies. Achievement of self-sufficiency in organ donation is a crucial step to fight against transplant tourism and to prevent organ trafficking. Based on recommendations arising from the conference, each country could review and develop individualized action plans adjusted to its own circumstances and reality.

Leadership, management, quality, and innovation in organ donation: 2019 Kunming recommendations for One Belt & One Road countries

ABSTRACT The findings and recommendations of the 2019 consensus conference in organ donation, held in Kunming, China, are here reported. The main objective of the conference was to gather relevant information from experts involved in the field. The data and opinions provided allowed to propose a series of recommendations for "One Belt & One Road Countries" on how to achieve self-sufficiency in organ donation. Leadership in organ donation should be results-oriented and goal-driven based on the principles of excellence, empowerment, and engagement, providing the means, resources, and strategies necessary to reach the goal in earnest. Management includes good governance and transparency of a national registry of patients in the waiting list, donors, transplants, transplant teams, quality, and safety programs with continuous educational training of health care professionals. Mandatory monitoring, auditing and evaluation of quality must be incorporated into donation practices as relevant points in innovation, as well as the adoption of already established and novel processes and technologies. Achievement of self-sufficiency in organ donation is a crucial step to fight against transplant tourism and to prevent organ trafficking. Based on recommendations arising from the conference, each country could review and develop individualized action plans adjusted to its own circumstances and reality.

Design and implementation of the European-Mediterranean Postgraduate Programme on Organ Donation and Transplantation (EMPODaT) for Middle East/North Africa countries.

This prospective study reports the design and results obtained after the EMPODaT project implementation. This project was funded by the Tempus programme of the European Commission with the objective to implement a common postgraduate programme on organ donation and transplantation (ODT) in six selected universities from Middle East/North Africa (MENA) countries (Egypt, Lebanon and Morocco). The consortium, coordinated by the University of Barcelona, included universities from Spain, Germany, Sweden and France. The first phase of the project was to perform an analysis of the current situation in the beneficiary countries, including existing training programmes on ODT, Internet connection, digital facilities and competences, training needs, and ODT activity and accreditation requirements. A total of 90 healthcare postgraduate students participated in the 1-year training programme (30 ECTS academic credits). The methodology was based on e-learning modules and face-to-face courses in English and French. Training activities were evaluated through pre- and post-tests, self-assessment activities and evaluation charts. Quality was assessed through questionnaires and semi-structured interviews. The project results on a reproducible and innovative international postgraduate programme, improvement of knowledge, satisfaction of the participants and confirms the need on professionalizing the activity as the cornerstone to ensure organ transplantation self-sufficiency in MENA countries.

Psychosocial risk factors for impaired health-related quality of life in living kidney donors: results from the ELIPSY prospective study.

Living kidney donors' follow-up is usually focused on the assessment of the surgical and medical outcomes. Whilst the psychosocial follow-up is advocated in literature. It is still not entirely clear which exact psychosocial factors are related to a poor psychosocial outcome of donors. The aim of our study is to prospectively assess the donors' psychosocial risks factors to impaired health-related quality of life at 1-year post-donation and link their psychosocial profile before donation with their respective outcomes. The influence of the recipient's medical outcomes on their donor's psychosocial outcome was also examined. Sixty donors completed a battery of standardized psychometric instruments (quality of life, mental health, coping strategies, personality, socio-economic status), and ad hoc items regarding the donation process (e.g., motivations for donation, decision-making, risk assessment, and donor-recipient relationship). Donors' 1-year psychosocial follow-up was favorable and comparable with the general population. So far, cluster-analysis identified a subgroup of donors (28%) with a post-donation reduction of their health-related quality of life. This subgroup expressed comparatively to the rest, the need for more pre-donation information regarding surgery risks, and elevated fear of losing the recipient and commitment to stop their suffering.

Organ procurement: Spanish transplant procurement management.

Transplantation is an accepted therapeutic option to save or improve the quality of life when organ failure occurs or tissue replacements are needed. However, the lack of organs is the major limitation. The deceased organ procurement organization and professionals provide the solution to this international problem. In this review, we identify the elements involved in the organ procurement management process to analyze the possibility of implementation of deceased organ procurement for a transplantation program. While the donation rates are subject to several negative factors including religious, economic, cultural, and legal issues, the existence of well-trained professionals may considerably increase them. Professional training in organ donation along with the establishment of a solid organizational system has been identified as the crucial factor in developing efficient organ donation and transplantation programs.