Search

Background: Transplant surgery has historically been a less desirable fellowship among general surgery graduates. Limited work has been done to understand factors associated with residents' interest in transplantation. Using a multi-institutional cohort, we examined how the resident experience on transplant surgery may influence their decision to pursue transplant fellowship., Methods: Individual demographics, program characteristics, and transplant-specific case logs were collected for graduates from 2010 to 2020 at 20 general surgery residency programs within the US Resident OPerative Experience (ROPE) Consortium. Residents who pursued transplant surgery fellowship were compared to those who went directly into practice or pursued a non-transplant fellowship., Results: Among 1342 general surgery graduates, 52 (3.9%) pursued abdominal transplant fellowship. These residents completed more transplant (22 vs. 9), liver (14 vs. 9), pancreas (15 vs. 11), and vascular access operations (38 vs. 30) compared to residents who did not pursue transplant fellowship (all p < 0.05). Multivariable logistic regression found that residents underrepresented in medicine were three times more likely (95% CI 1.54-6.58, p < 0.01) and residents at a program co-located with a transplant fellowship six times more likely (95% CI 1.95-18.18, p < 0.01) to pursue transplant fellowship. Additionally, a resident's increasing total transplant operative volume was associated with an increased likelihood of pursuing a transplant fellowship (OR = 1.12, 95% CI 1.09-1.14, p < 0.01)., Conclusion: The findings from this multi-institutional study demonstrate that increased exposure to transplant operations and interaction within a transplant training program is associated with a resident's pursuit of transplant surgery fellowship. Efforts to increase operative exposure, case participation, and mentorship may optimize the resident experience and promote the transplant surgery pipeline., (© 2024 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Background: Organ transplant lay caregivers perform an essential and complex role, but there is a paucity of comprehensive, accessible education regarding transplant caregiving. We sought to create a broad, multifaceted educational toolkit for transplant caregivers. Given the complexities of this population, we report on lessons learned by organising diverse stakeholder engagement to develop an educational resource covering the breadth and depth of organ transplantation., Approach: Following a call from organ transplant patients and caregivers, the American Society of Transplantation (AST) formed an Organ Transplant Caregiver Initiative with the aim to develop a comprehensive educational toolkit for transplant caregivers. The AST Organ Transplant Caregiver Toolkit was created through a shared, multi-step process involving transplant professionals and caregivers, who formed an education subcommittee to develop and refine content domains. The caregiver toolkit was reviewed with relevant external stakeholders and through an internal organisational review process., Evaluation: Lessons learned included seeking guidance from others with experience creating similar resources, flexibility in project development, creativity in engaging stakeholders and routine communication between all entities involved. Insights gained contributed to the caregiver toolkit completion despite project challenges., Implications: The AST Organ Transplant Caregiver Toolkit can be utilised by health care professionals to educate and counsel transplant patients and caregivers. Lessons learned from the development of the caregiver toolkit can provide guidance to health care professionals and clinical teachers for the development of future education resources., (© 2023 Association for the Study of Medical Education and John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Introduction: There is variation in exposure to transplantation in undergraduate medical education. We created a program pairing medical students with transplant patients for semi-structured, virtual encounters and studied the impact on both students and patients using qualitative content analysis., Methods: Fifty medical students were paired with transplant recipients and donors for non-medical virtual encounters. Separate focus groups were conducted, deidentified, and analyzed using a constant comparative method., Results: Three themes related to the student experience emerged: transplant-related relationships, a deeper understanding of the patient's journey to transplant, and alterations of their personal view of organ donation and transplantation. Three themes emerged from the patient's experiences: the benefits of conversations, the patient as a teacher, and spreading the message of organ donation and transplantation., Conclusions: This novel program demonstrates that virtual student-patient interactions are a useful approach to engage patients and a unique way to teach medical students about transplantation and donation., (Copyright © 2021 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background: Transplant surgery fellowship has evolved over the years and today there are 66 accredited training programs in the US and Canada. There is growing concern, however, about the number of US-trained general surgery residents pursuing transplant surgery. In this study, we examined the transplant surgery pipeline, comparing it with other surgical subspecialty fellowships, and characterized the resident transplantation experience., Methods: Datasets were compiled and analyzed from surgical fellowship match data obtained from the National Resident Matching Program and ACGME reports and relative fellowship competitiveness was assessed. The surgical resident training experience in transplantation was evaluated., Results: From 2006 to 2018, a total of 1,094 applicants have applied for 946 transplant surgery fellowship positions; 299 (27.3%) were US graduates. During this period, there was a 0.8% decrease per year in US-trained surgical residents matching into transplant surgery (p = 0.042). In addition, transplant surgery was one of the least competitive fellowships compared with other National Resident Matching Program surgical subspeciality fellowships, as measured by the number of US applicants per available fellowship position, average number of fellowship programs listed on each applicant's rank list, and proportion of unfilled fellowship positions (each, p < 0.05). Finally, from 2015 to 2017, there were 57 general surgery residency programs that produced 77 transplant surgery fellows, but nearly one-half of the fellows (n = 36 [46.8%]) came from 16 (28.1%) programs., Conclusions: Transplant surgery is one of the least competitive and sought after surgical fellowships for US-trained residents. These findings highlight the need for dedicated efforts to increase exposure, mentorship, and interest in transplantation to recruit strong US graduates., (Copyright © 2021 American College of Surgeons. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Adolescents can be influential in changing societal perceptions of organ donation and transplantation (ODT) but current studies on youth are limited. We sought to (1) assess the baseline knowledge in ODT among students in Toronto, Canada, and (2) evaluate the effectiveness of the High School Outreach Initiative (HSOI) program presentations in changing awareness and interest about ODT. Pre- and post-presentation surveys were administered to high school students about their knowledge of ODT, awareness of donor registration, importance of donation, intent to register, and willingness to talk to their families about donation. Descriptive statistics were used to characterize the students' baseline knowledge and interest. Wilcoxon and McNemar tests were used to analyze changes in perceptions before and after the presentation. A total of 449 HSOI presentations were delivered to 33,090 students at 102 high schools in the Greater Toronto Area between 2012 and 2019. Data from 3327 surveys completed by students before a presentation showed 46.5% were not knowledgeable about ODT. For the 2-year period between 2017 and 2019, 1224 matched pre- and post-presentation surveys were collected. The 49.8% of students who stated they were not knowledgeable about ODT prior to the presentation decreased to 3.8% after (p < 0.001). Those who were not willing to register decreased by half after the presentation (p < 0.001). The HSOI is an effective educational program in improving youth's attitudes and perceptions toward ODT. Further directions of the program include the expansion to other cities and the collection of demographic information of students., (© 2021 The Authors. Pediatric Transplantation published by Wiley Periodicals LLC.)

Competing Interests: The authors declare no funding or conflicts of interest.

BACKGROUND Organ donation education as an important approach to improve support for donating, but it is inconsistent and unstructured. Therefore, the development of donation-related curriculum is essential, especially for medical undergraduates. This study aimed to define the fundamental contents for organ donation curriculum that could be useful for international organ donor agencies and educational institutions. MATERIAL AND METHODS The basic framework of the organ donation curriculum was constructed under the guidance of the theory of planned behavior in China. Then, Delphi method was used to modify and improve the contents by conducting 2 rounds of consultation with 22 Chinese experts from 6 professional fields. The surveys winnowed the list and assessed the accuracy and importance of each item. RESULTS Response rates for the Delphi were 100.00% for the first round and 95.45% for the second round. A 3-layer curriculum system was developed based on 3 dimensions of the theory of planned behavior. The primary-layer items including the overview, cultural concepts, ethical issues, laws and regulations, medical knowledge, and psychological care in organ donation, elicited at least 85% of the experts to agree or strongly agree that the items were basic and core content for organ donation education. All of the 17 second-layer and 46 third-layer items also had 80% or more expert agreement. CONCLUSIONS This study identified the contents of an organ donation curriculum for medical undergraduates in China, which would be useful for researchers and instructors in medical education. Determining the fundamental content of a donation-related curriculum is an indispensable step for implementation of organ donation education and promotion of organ donation.

Introduction: Transplants and organ donation are greatly aided by future medical professionals having adequate knowledge of this topic. This study aimed to elucidate the level of Mexican medical students' knowledge in the field of transplants and organ donation., Materials and Methods: The evaluation instrument was designed and validated. The design used simple sampling with replacement, selecting a random sample of 5 universities from among the institutional members of the Mexican Association of Departments and Schools of Medicine (Asociación Mexicana de Facultades y Escuelas de Medicina [AMFEM]). The sample was composed of 3214 medical students. Measures of central tendency were determined, and the mean scores obtained across the different universities were compared using a Kruskal-Wallis test. The odds ratio was calculated for the students whose school or department included instruction on transplants and donation within their curriculum. Kendall correlation was used for the students' academic grade level and score. All analyses considered a threshold of P < .05., Results: A questionnaire was administered to a sample of 2563 students to evaluate their knowledge of transplants and organ donation. The average score was 4.02 on a scale of 0 to 10 (standard deviation 0.03), with a 95% confidence interval (3.96-4.08). Students whose school or department taught the subject of transplants and donations within their curriculum obtained an odds ratio of 1.44 (P = .0000822)., Conclusions: The findings of this study suggest that medical students in Mexico do not have sufficient knowledge of transplants and organ donation., (Copyright © 2020 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Introduction: Health professionals are asked to promote health, especially organ transplantation; however, they do not always have specific training., Objective: To analyze information about donation and organ transplantation among Spanish medical students., Method: The population under study is medical students in Spanish universities using the database of the International Donor Collaborative Project, stratified by geographic area and academic year (n = 9275). The instrument used is the attitude questionnaire for organ donation for "PCID-DTO-Ríos" transplantation, validated with an explained variance of 63.203% and α = 0.834. The Student t test was applied together with the χ 2 test, complemented by an analysis of the remainders, and Fisher's exact test was applied., Results: Of the students, 74% indicate that they have received information from university professors about organ transplant. Concerning specific issues with the donation, it is notable that only 66.7% (n = 6190) know and accept the concept of brain death as the death of a person. However, only 22% consider themselves as having good information, and 35.3% indicate that their information is scarce or void. Students indicate having received information about transplant from other extra-university sources, such as television and Internet (80.9%), books and magazines (73.2%), and the press (66.9%). From the information obtained in the sociofamilial field, 60.7% have obtained information from the family and 58.1% from friends. Of this information, 9% has been negative from friends, 7.5% from family, 6% from the Internet and television, and 4% from university professors., Conclusion: Spanish medical students believe they have little information about organ transplantation and have received negative information., (Copyright © 2020 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Aims: To assess stakeholder perspectives regarding the clinical utility of pharmacogenomic (PGx) testing following kidney, liver, and heart transplantation. Methods: We conducted individual semi-structured interviews and focus groups with kidney, liver, and heart transplantation patients and providers. We analyzed the qualitative data to identify salient themes. Results: The study enrolled 36 patients and 24 providers. Patients lacked an understanding about PGx, but expressed interest in PGx testing. Providers expressed willingness to use PGx testing, but reported barriers to implementation, such as lack of knowledge, lack of evidence demonstrating clinical utility, and patient healthcare burden. Conclusion: Patient and provider educational efforts, including foundational knowledge, clinical evidence, and applications to patient care beyond just immunosuppression, may be useful to facilitate the use of PGx testing in transplant medicine.

Objective: The objective of this study is to evaluate the results obtained by the Training Unit of the Regional Transplant Organization of Andalusia from 2015 to 2017., Methods: The following indicators were analyzed: number of activities carried out, number of students trained per year, students who do not complete the course, student and teacher satisfaction, learning assessment via postformation test, and transfer of training to the workplace., Results: Between the years 2015 to 2017, 86 courses were carried out, and 2600 students were trained (1325 doctors, 1064 nurses, and 211 students with other degrees). A total of 83 students (3.2%) withdrew from training after its initiation. The overall assessments from teachers and students were 95/100 and 92/100, respectively. Student scores from the postformation test to assess learning averaged 77 points., Conclusion: It is worth noting the elevated number of courses offered and students trained over this 3-year period. We believe this has had a strong impact on the donation rate in Andalusia, which rose from 37.5 donors per million inhabitants in 2014 to 52.5 donors in 2018. Although student and teacher satisfaction was very high, it is clear that the transfer of new skills to the workplace could benefit from improvements in teamwork, communication with the transplant coordinator, the overall work environment, and the resources at their disposal., (Copyright © 2019 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background: Global promotion of organ transplantation is contingent upon continuous improvement of the donation rate. Organ donation education is an important measure for changing public awareness and promoting organ donation. Therefore, it is important and urgent to conduct a systematic study of the organ donation courses offered in China and around the world. The aim of this study was to learn the views and needs of Chinese medical students and provide a reference for international peers., Methods: Semistructured, in-depth interviews and purposive sampling were used in this study. A total of 18 university students majoring in medicine and nursing were selected according to the principle of data saturation and interviewed. The data were sorted and analyzed with phenomenology., Results: These interviewees generally agreed that an organ donation course should be offered. They were in urgent need of knowledge regarding organ donation procedures and relevant policies and eager for a practical and experience-based teaching method design. The Chinese medical students surveyed also believed that the course should also be available to clinical practitioners, nonmedical students, and the public., Conclusion: Medical students' demand for an organ donation course should be considered. To fully stimulate their interest in learning and to provide support and a guarantee for continuous improvement of transplant operations promotion and donation rate worldwide, specific organ donation courses and flexible training should be created., (Copyright © 2019. Published by Elsevier Inc.)

Background: Approximately half of Americans have inadequate health literacy, which leads to poorer health outcomes. Health numeracy is an important component of literacy, which reflects one's ability to understand and manipulate numbers. This is especially important for transplant candidates, as adherence to medical recommendations is essential for posttransplant care. Although validated measures of numeracy exist, they can be inconvenient and time consuming to administer., Objective: The Brief Medical Numbers Test (BMNT) was created in 2011 to quickly assess the health numeracy of a patient during presurgical psychiatric transplant evaluations. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the reliability and validity of the BMNT for this use via retrospective chart review., Methods: There were 293 patients referred over a 2-year period for a presurgical psychiatric evaluation. The evaluation consisted of a semistructured interview and completion of several measures, including the BMNT, a measure of health literacy, and a brief test of cognitive functioning., Results: The BMNT had acceptable internal consistency (α = .71), convergent validity with health literacy and cognitive functioning, and predictive validity with surgical outcomes., Conclusions: Preliminary data suggests the BMNT is a reliable and valid measure of health numeracy in patients being evaluated for transplant., (Copyright © 2018 Academy of Consultation-Liaison Psychiatry. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

The acceptance of brain death and the legitimation of organ transplantation is very much dependent on the general knowledge of the society. In Hungary, the legislation of brain death is based on presumed consent. There is no structural education about the topic so far., Aim: The role of the Gerundium program is to educate high school students about the importance of transplantation and the meaning of brain death. The goal of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of the Gerundium contemporary educational program in a pilot study., Method: The education was held by medical students who successfully completed a preparatory elective course consisting of relevant information in the topic. Medical students used simple language during the 45-minute presentations. Two tests with simple but representative questions created by experts were completed by high school students: one directly before contemporary education and another 5 to 6 weeks after the lecture., Results: A total of 147 tests were completed: 78 before and 69 after the presentation in the city of Debrecen and 294 before the lecture in the city of Győr. In Debrecen, the overall correct answers increased by 6.05% (P < .05; before vs after). The results show that the knowledge transfer is highly effective in this manner and the students know significantly more weeks after the lectures., Conclusion: There is much to do to broadly inform society about transplantation and brain death, but we will continue to increase the number of students and measure the dynamic change of the students' knowledge., (Copyright © 2019 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background: Transplantation continues to be the therapy of choice for people experiencing end-stage organ failure. African Americans (AAs) are overrepresented among those awaiting an available organ for the purpose of a transplant, yet donate at rates lower than other races due to a list of well-studied barriers. The Giving ACTS (About Choices in Transplantation and Sharing) Intervention was developed to provide culturally appropriate messaging to AAs about organ and tissue donation and transplantation (OTDT). The purpose of this community-based study was to test the extent to which the intervention was effective in (1) improving donation-related knowledge and attitudes among AA participants, and (2) increasing registration on the state donor registry., Methods: Using a single-group, pre-post design, 1,585 participants received the intervention in small groups hosted in community settings., Results: From baseline to immediate follow-up, participants significantly increased in OTDT-related knowledge, beliefs and attitudes, endorsement of the positive consequences of donation, and willingness to donate (all ps < .001). Participants' beliefs about the negative consequences of organ and tissue donation, however, did not significantly change, and registration on the state donor registry was negligible (1.3%)., Conclusion: Results suggest that Giving ACTS was generally successful in improving attitudes and beliefs; the intervention, however, was not effective in changing participants' beliefs about the negative consequences of OTDT, or increasing actual registration behaviors. Future studies in this area should be conducted to empirically evaluate the role of distrust in healthcare systems among AAs and its possible mediating effect on the relationship between donation-related education and the desired health behaviors., (Copyright © 2018 National Medical Association. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Objectives: Organ transplant volume is at an all-time high. Prospective applicants often utilize individual programs' websites for information when deciding if and where to apply for fellowship training. Accessibility and content from one program's website to the next is highly variable and may contribute to the selection of programs. The aim of this study was to evaluate the accessibility and content of abdominal transplant surgery fellowship websites., Materials and Methods: The American Society of Transplant Surgeons (ASTS) website provides a complete list of abdominal transplant fellowship programs in the United States. A Google search was performed to determine the presence and accessibility of a program's website. Available websites were evaluated on the presence of 20 content criteria., Results: Sixty-five programs in the United States were identified using the ASTS directory. Websites for fifty-one (78%) fellowship programs were identified. Three-fourths of websites contained 50% or less of the 20 evaluated data points, whereas 24% of websites contained 5 or less criteria. The most and least included data points were program description (100%) and on-call expectations (10%), respectively., Conclusions: The accessibility and content of a program's website is one major factor that can influence a potential applicant's decision on where to pursue transplant surgery fellowship training. This study revealed that a significant percentage of programs fail to provide a functional website. Of the fifty-one programs that did have websites, information deemed important to prospective applicants may be considered inadequate., (Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Purpose: The design and implementation of a tool that combines clinical teaching with cutting-edge, simplified technology for providing medication education to solid organ transplant (SOT) recipients are described., Methods: In a retrospective study of adults who received kidney transplants from February 2015 through May 2017, patients were educated about their medications using a tablet computer application, Medication Regimen Education (MRxEd), that presented concise videos describing the name, indication, dose, adverse effects, and associated interactions of all medications received, as well as special considerations applicable to each agent. Assessment questions were used to reinforce key concepts and identify knowledge gaps., Results: The digital educational intervention was provided to 282 kidney transplant recipients. Patients were predominantly white (48%) and/or male (63%), with a median age of 51 years (interquartile range, 37-61 years). Patients came from a variety of education backgrounds. Most patients (81%) were educated on dual maintenance immunosuppression (with tacrolimus and mycophenolate) and 3 infection prophylaxis agents (nystatin, sulfamethoxazole-trimethoprim, and valganciclovir). Most patients (90%) correctly answered questions related to medication indications, dosing, and special rules, but many (61%) had difficulty correctly answering questions about adverse effects., Conclusion: An innovative approach for interactive and engaging medication teaching with the MRxEd application enhanced the education process for SOT recipients., Competing Interests: DisclosuresThe authors have declared no potential conflicts of interest., (Copyright © 2018 by the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists, Inc. All rights reserved.)

In Taiwan, the current survival rate 1 year after transplantation exceeds 80%. However, the number of organ/tissue donors per year in Taiwan is extremely low, resulting in increased mortality. This is also true in Europe and in the United States. Recently, data from the Taiwan Organ Registry and Sharing Center showed that, although fundraising for organs/tissues slightly increased, the number of donors did not exhibit a corresponding growth trend. Identifying appropriate donors and the provision of good quality transplantation care by medical team members are current challenges. Hence, the application of information technology to in-service education for organ transplantation professionals has been suggested.This was a qualitative study that employed qualitative content analysis with purposive and snowball sampling. The study participants (n = 8, mean age 39.88 ± 3.06 years) included medical staff involved in tissue/organ transplantation from 4 leading medical centers and 3 regional teaching hospitals, and those who participated in the informatics education system.The interviewees from multidisciplinary medical teams showed the status of and dilemma in organ fundraising/donation/transplantation, noting 6 core themes. Regarding relevant education and training, 4 core themes were identified.Current educational courses for organ fundraising/donation/transplantation are inadequate and seem to provide insufficient information to multidisciplinary medical teams. Hence, it is necessary to develop a theoretical construct to create a complete curriculum framework and to establish complete fit-in professional and ethical organ transplantation learning programs based on informatics technology to increase the interdisciplinary exchange of experience.

Background: To assess the impact of participation of multiorgan procurement (MP) by general surgery (GS) residents on surgical knowledge and skills, a prospective cohort study of GS residents during transplant surgery rotation was performed., Methods: Before and after participation in MPs, assessment of knowledge was performed by written pre and post tests and surgical skills by modified Objective Structured Assessment of Technical Skill (OSATS) score. Thirty-nine residents performed 84 MPs., Results: Significant improvement was noted in the written test scores (63.3% vs 76.7%; P < 0.001). Better surgical score was associated with female gender (15.4 vs 13.3, P = <0.01), prior MP experience (16.2 vs 13.7, P = 0.03), and senior level resident (15.1 vs 13.0, P = 0.03). Supraceliac aortic dissection (P = 0.0017) and instrument handling (P = 0.041) improved with more MP operations., Conclusions: Participation in MP improves residents' knowledge of abdominal anatomy and surgical technique., (Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Objectives: To describe important considerations during the process of caring for critically ill children who may be potential organ donors and supporting the family during the death of their child., Design: Literature review and expert commentary., Measurement and Main Results: Medical literature focusing on pediatric donation, best pediatric donation practices, donor management, and factors influencing donation were reviewed. Additional pediatric data were obtained and reviewed from the U.S. Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network. Achieving successful organ donation requires the coordinated efforts of the critical care team, organ donation organization, and transplant team to effectively manage a potential donor and recover suitable organs for transplantation. Collaboration between these teams is essential to ensure that all potential organs are recovered in optimal condition, to reduce death and morbidity in children on transplantation waiting lists as well as fulfilling the family's wishes for their dying child to become a donor., Conclusions: Organ donation is an important component of end-of-life care and can help the healing process for families and medical staff following the death of a child. The process of pediatric organ donation requires healthcare providers to actively work to preserve the option of donation before the death of the child and ensure donation occurs after consent/authorization has been obtained from the family. Medical management of the pediatric organ donor requires the expertise of a multidisciplinary medical team skilled in the unique needs of caring for children after neurologic determination of death and those who become donors following circulatory death after withdrawal of life-sustaining medical therapies.

Introduction: The Hospital El Cruce is a high complexity center that performs transplants, both the procurement and the implant of organs and tissues. To deal with the low availability of organs and tissues from cadaveric donors it has been implemented the training through clinical simulation., Objective: To assess if continuous training through procurement clinical simulation workshops modifies the production and quality indicators of organ and tissue procurement for transplantation in the hospital., Materials and Methods: The workshop focuses on the procurement difficulties as detailed: workshops with high fidelity simulators: detection of potential donor; certification of death; treatment and selection of potential donor; workshops with role play actors; communication of the patient's death; and request for the last will of the deceased. A retrospective study was performed to compare between two periods the procurement activity. These periods defined 30-month before and after the opening of the workshop, as periods 1 and 2., Results: In period 1, 44 patients underwent organ transplantation and 64 patients a tissue transplantation. After training through workshops (period 2), the number of patients increased to 71 for organ transplantation and 116 for tissue transplantation., Conclusions: Assessment of the two periods indicates that the production and quality indicators of organ and tissue procurement improved in the second period. Continuous training through procurement clinical simulation workshops is highlighted within all tasks carried out in the hospital. Clinical simulation is a motivating factor for the development of this activity in the hospital., (Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Nurses are the largest group of health-care professionals, yet they are not uniformly educated regarding transplantation and organ donation. The future of transplantation hinges on education of this group. Before meaningful studies can be conducted, an instrument to measure attitudes and commitment to organ transplantation is needed. The purpose of this study was to examine content and construct validity as well as establish internal reliability of an investigator-developed online instrument to measure nurses' attitudes and commitment to organ transplantation by registered nurses. The online instrument was administered to registered nurses enrolled in transplantation electives at the University of Alabama in Huntsville and Vanderbilt University. Exploratory factor analysis revealed 4 components with eigenvalues over 1.0. The components were as follows: (1) desire to work in transplantation, (2) confidence in transplantation advocacy, (3) organ donation advocacy, and (4) procurement. Internal consistency of the revised instrument was established (α = .94). The Transplant-Registered Nurse (TXP-RN) instrument is a new instrument with excellent reliability and validity that can be used to measure attitudes and knowledge of American nurses about organ donation and transplantation. This important step is necessary before educational interventions can be accurately assessed.

Objective: Video-sharing websites can be a useful platform for disseminating information. The aim of this study was to evaluate information about the oral health care of the organ transplant and hematopoietic stem cell transplant patients available on YouTube™., Methods: The transversal study evaluated the content of YouTube™ videos. The videos were located by entering key search terms in the YouTube™ search engine-oral care/dental management/organ transplant/hematopoietic stem cell transplant patients. The videos were then classified as useful, misleading, or as personal experiences reported by patients. The following information was registered: the source of the video, content, interaction, and overall quality., Results: A total of 50 videos were reviewed; 16 (33.14%) were classed as useful, 22 (44%) were misleading, and 12 (24%) reported patients' personal experiences. Significant differences were found in overall quality (p = 0.012). When interaction variables were analyzed statistically significant differences were found for the following: "I did not like this video" (p ≤ 0.05) and comments (p ≤ 0.05)., Conclusions: Several videos reviewed information on oral care of organ transplant and hematopoietic stem cell transplant patients but were sometimes difficult to interpret. Nevertheless, YouTube™ is a tool that can help supply information and promote oral health care education among of organ transplant and hematopoietic stem cell transplant patients.

Background: International data on training, work, and lifestyle of transplant physicians and surgeons are scarce. Such data might help in development of uniform education paths and provide insights for young clinicians interested in this field. This study aimed at the evaluation of these data in all transplant-associated medical disciplines., Methods: A survey on professional and academic training, workload, and lifestyle was generated. The questionnaire was distributed to all members of the German Transplant Association (DTG), utilizing the tool SurveyMonkey(®) ., Results: A total of 127 members of the DTG responded (male/female 66.1%/33.9%, 45.8±10.3 years). The majority had been working in transplant medicine for more than 10 years (61.9%). Fifteen respondents (11.8%) obtained an official European certification (European Union of Medical Specialists). A total of 57 (48.3%) respondents worked full time on research during training. The research focus was clinical for most respondents (n=72, 61.5%). An average working time of 62±1.5 h/wk was reported. Fifty-eight percent of all respondents complained of inadequate remuneration and 50% reported inadequate acknowledgment of their professional performance., Conclusion: This is the first study reporting characteristics of training, work, and lifestyle in an interdisciplinary cohort of German transplant physicians and surgeons. Enormous efforts in clinical and research work were reported, associated with high rates of professional and financial dissatisfaction., (© 2016 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Background: Since 2007, the Medical University of Warsaw has been organizing the Transplant Coordinators Postgraduate Studies, which are funded by the National Programme for the Development of Transplantation Medicine. The aim of the studies is to recruit medical professionals for every hospital with the potential of deceased donations. The goal of the present study was to formally evaluate the previous 16 editions of Transplant Coordinators Postgraduate Studies by assessing graduate profiles and analyzing the efficiency and sustainability of their education., Methods: Graduate profiles were determined by gathering sociodemographic information contained in student records. Training efficiency and sustainability were defined by assessing the actual performance of the coordinators' functions in the hospital after taking the course., Results: As of May 2015, the number of Transplant Coordinators Postgraduate Studies graduates totals 501. Approximately one half of the graduates (n = 248) had nursing degrees; training was also finished by 199 physicians, and 54 individuals had other medical education. The number of graduates per million population across the whole country totals 13. A total of 226 of the graduates (45%) were employed in the years 2007-2015 in hospitals as transplant coordinators; physicians (93 graduates), nurses (107 graduates) and other medical proffessionals (26 graduates)., Conclusions: The academic formula of the Transplant Coordinators Postgraduate Studies funded by public sources makes it possible to educate practicing staff (physicians and nurses alike) for a nationwide system of donor hospital transplant coordinators posted in >200 hospitals and maintained by a national transplant organization., (Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background: Health workers' awareness and knowledge of transplant medicine can improve people's sensitivity and reduce their degree of opposition to donations. The medical literature contains numerous examples of education programs aimed at university students. This work describes the experience of an education program for students of the second and third year of a nursing degree course., Methods: From April to September 2013, an education program was set up for 80 university students. It was divided into 3 stages: group self-learning based on prearranged topics, sharing of the results, and participation in the final seminar. The effectiveness was assessed according to a pretest/posttest design., Results: The first questionnaire contained 19 questions, and the second contained 27. The questions were subdivided into specific areas: subjective knowledge, objective knowledge, attitude, awareness, participation in the event, evaluation of the information material handed out, and appreciation of the tools used. There was a significant increase for items relating to knowledge, whereas awareness and attitude (already high at the start of the program) showed no changes. After the program, many students discussed the question of donation with their relatives and friends, and about 70% filled in a donor card. The students expressed a highly positive opinion of the initiative and the tools used., Conclusions: The initiative proved its validity, improving subjective and objective knowledge to a statistically significant extent and also increasing awareness and attitude. The students' evaluation was extremely positive., (Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background: The management of intestinal failure has evolved dramatically over the last 2 decades. In addition, improved management of patients requiring parenteral nutrition-associated liver disease is creating a paradigm shift in both intestinal failure management and in the evolving indications for intestinal transplantation., Objectives: We conducted an evaluation measuring current awareness among house officers (HO) regarding nutritional and transplant principles in the management of intestinal disease. Our goal was to use board-style questions with a single correct response to measure current knowledge level between HO., Methods: A survey was distributed to HO via email to measure knowledge regarding 3 areas: principles of intestinal failure (PI), medical management of intestinal disease (MI), and transplantation for intestinal disease (TI). This was evaluated at 3 busy nontransplant centers (NTC) and a tertiary care intestine transplant center (TC). Statistical analysis was conducted using the independent samples t test and multiple linear regression analysis., Results: Surveys were distributed to a total of 1068 HO; 208 (19.47%) responded. We received 139 responses (67%) from NTC and 69 (33%) from TC. 82% were postgraduate year (PGY) 1-3 and 18% were PGY 4-7. Of the respondents, 27% correctly answered questions regarding PI, 40% about MI, and 21% on TI. HO in NTC demonstrated more knowledge regarding PI than those in TC (P = .000). There was, otherwise, no difference between PGY 1-3 and PGY 4-7 (P > .05)., Conclusions: This evaluation demonstrates potential deficiencies in the basic understanding of issues surrounding intestinal disease that can be used for implementation of an educational program regarding intestinal disease and transplantation., (Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background: Organ transplantation in Brazil is increasing, but one of its current obstacles is the negative response of the population to organ donation. Therefore, to make the process viable, it is essential that people are educated in organ donation and transplantation. The purpose of this research was to evaluate the main doubts on this subject and to clarify these issues by educating the respondents on the basis of their questions., Methods: Handout questionnaires about organ donation and transplantation were distributed in public schools. The public targets were parents, teachers, and students. The interviewers were trained medical students., Results: In this pilot study with 293 subjects, 97% of respondents had already heard about organ donation; 81% said they would donate their organs, whereas 76% said they would donate the organs of family members and 78% said they believe in the existence of organ trafficking in Brazil., Conclusions: The high percentage of respondents believing in the existence of an organ trade highlights the urgency in clarifying this topic. To do so, the population must be educated about the ethics of the process of donation, emphasizing the fact that there is no organ trade in Brazil., (Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background: Awareness among the medical students and junior doctors about organ donation and transplantation (ODT) may play an important role in increasing organ donor pool. This study surveys the knowledge, perceptions, and attitudes of ODT among the U.K. junior doctors and attempts to identify their educational needs. To our knowledge, this is first such study in the United Kingdom., Methods: A cross-sectional online survey was conducted among 1,696 junior doctors (809 foundation and 887 core trainees). A 36-point questionnaire explored the junior doctor's knowledge, perceptions, and attitudes toward ODT., Results: There were 523 respondents (30.8%). Majority were foundation trainees (58.9%). Only 29.6% had previous exposure to transplantation, which reflected in their poor knowledge on the basics of ODT. Only 47.0% of the respondents were aware that consent from next of kin or family is sought for all deceased organ donation. Those registered as organ donor (69.8%) had better knowledge, perceptions, and attitudes in comparison to those not registered. Majority (84.1%) felt that they were inadequately exposed to ODT, and 96.8% stated that ODT should be part of undergraduate curriculum., Conclusion: Junior doctors in the United Kingdom have limited knowledge about ODT. Although subjected to investigators bias, the results demonstrate that junior doctors' perceptions and attitudes toward ODT were favorable. Majority felt that their ODT knowledge was inadequate and suggested the need for a change in undergraduate ODT curriculum. Increasing knowledge and awareness among junior doctors may help to improve the continuing organ shortage for transplantation.

The independent living donor advocate (ILDA) serves a mandated and supportive role in the care of the living organ donor, yet qualifications and role requirements are not clearly defined. Guidance comes from Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) Conditions for Transplant Center Participation and interpretive guidelines, Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network (OPTN) Policy and CMS and OPTN site surveys, yet interpretation of regulations varies. Herein, the AST Living Donor Community of Practice (LDCOP) offers seven recommendations to clarify and optimize the ILDA role: (a) the ILDA must have a certain skill set rather than a specific profession, (b) the ILDA must be educated and demonstrate competence in core knowledge components, (c) the ILDA's primary role is to assess components of informed consent, (d) centers must develop a transparent system to define ILDA independence, (e) the ILDA should have a reporting structure outside the transplant center, (f) the ILDA's role should be integrated throughout the donor care continuum, (g) the ILDA role should include a narrow "veto power." We address controversies in ILDA implementation, and offer pathways to maximize benefits and minimize limitations of approaches that may each meet regulatory requirements but confer different practice benefits. We propose a research agenda to explore the impact of the ILDA., (© Copyright 2015 The American Society of Transplantation and the American Society of Transplant Surgeons.)

Transplant infectious diseases is a rapidly emerging subspecialty within pediatric infectious diseases reflecting the increasing volumes and complexity of this patient population. Incorporating transplant infectious diseases into the transplant process would provide an opportunity to improve clinical outcome and advocacy as well as expand research. The relationship between transplant physicians and infectious diseases (ID) specialists is one of partnership, collaboration, and mutual continuing professional education. The ID CARE Committee of the International Pediatric Transplant Association (IPTA) views the development and integration of transplant infectious diseases into pediatric transplant care as an international priority., (© 2014 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Background: The process involved in organ procurement and transplantation is very complex that requires multidisciplinary coordination and teamwork. To prevent error during the processes, teamwork education and training might play an important role. We wished to evaluate the efficacy of implementing a Team Resource Management (TRM) program on patient safety and the behaviors of the team members involving in the process., Methods: We implemented a TRM training program for the organ procurement and transplantation team members of the National Taiwan University Hospital (NTUH), a teaching medical center in Taiwan. This 15-month intervention included TRM education and training courses for the healthcare workers, focused group skill training for the procurement and transplantation team members, video demonstration and training, and case reviews with feedbacks. Teamwork culture was evaluated and all procurement and transplantation cases were reviewed to evaluate the application of TRM skills during the actual processes., Results: During the intervention period, a total of 34 staff members participated the program, and 67 cases of transplantations were performed. Teamwork framework concept was the most prominent dimension that showed improvement from the participants for training. The team members showed a variety of teamwork behaviors during the process of procurement and transplantation during the intervention period. Of note, there were two potential donors with a positive HIV result, for which the procurement processed was timely and successfully terminated by the team. None of the recipients was transplanted with an infected organ. No error in communication or patient identification was noted during review of the case records., Conclusion: Implementation of a Team Resource Management program improves the teamwork culture as well as patient safety in organ procurement and transplantation.

Experts advocate educational programs addressing misinformation regarding donation decisions to increase the potential donor pool. However, few researchers have measured outcomes with nursing students. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the impact of an educational intervention on nursing students' knowledge, attitudes, registering as an organ donor, and family discussions. This quasi-experimental study used a pretest-posttest design with a control group. The research group consisted of 42 volunteers and the control group consisted of 73 volunteers. The written survey included 15 true-false knowledge items and 8 Likert items asking about attitude toward donation, registering as an organ donor, and family discussion. Normally distributed data showed no significant differences between groups on the pretest. The research group had no change in knowledge level 3 months later, but the control group had a significantly decreased knowledge level at that point. More members of the research group than the control group registered as organ donors after the intervention (χ2 = 4.5, P= .03). The control group had no change in registering as an organ donor between the pretest and posttest. Family discussions did not differ significantly from pretest to posttest in either group. One lecture/laboratory experience did make a difference in registering as an organ donor but not in discussing the decision with family members. Students can learn about organ donation from more than one specific class. Recommendations for educators and future research are provided.

Objective: To develop and implement a solid organ transplant elective course for second- and third-year pharmacy students, and assess its impact on students' knowledge in the management of medications, adverse effects, and complications in organ transplantation patients., Design: Topics related to the care of solid organ transplant patients were covered in depth. Students were required to complete a group presentation focusing on common infectious disease topics encountered in solid organ transplant patients., Assessment: Students' solid organ transplantation knowledge was assessed using examinations quizzes, a group presentation, and class participation. With an average class grade of 87%, students demonstrated knowledge of the course material. Most students felt that their knowledge increased significantly with regard to the course objectives., Conclusion: Students who completed the elective course significantly improved their confidence and knowledge regarding solid organ transplantation, felt more prepared than their peers who did not complete the course, and became open to exploring careers or residencies in this area.

Background: Transplantation is increasingly being used to treat patients with end-stage organ disease. However, when potential organ donors involved are Muslims, religious beliefs and culture have a strong influence on clinical decision making and nursing care., Purpose: To establish basic aspects that nurses working with potential Muslim organ donors need to know in order to provide culturally sensitive care., Methods: Studies were retrieved from four databases (Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature, SCOPUS, Medline, and PubMed)., Results: Findings of available studies show that health education, family involvement, and collaboration with religious leaders are good strategies for ensuring culturally sensitive care for Muslim patients in this situation., Conclusion: Nurses need to know that organ donation is compatible with Islam and that religious leaders, family, sociocultural beliefs, legal requirements, informed decision making process, and Ramadan are important aspects that need to be considered in order to be able to provide culturally senstive care., (© 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.)