Solid organ donation and transplantation in the United Kingdom: good governance is key to success
File(s)
Published version
Author(s)
Type
Journal Article
Abstract
The United Kingdom (UK) supports a highly successful organ donation and transplantation program. While the UK originally had one of the lowest organ donation rates in Europe, sustained reforms have resulted in steady improvement. Of note, the UK nearly doubled its rate of deceased donations between 2008 and 2018. In this report, we present a case study of the UK organ donation and transplantation program as an example of a complete system with sound and inclusive governing structures that are strongly integrated with critical programs focused on training and research. This study was based on an initial targeted review of the literature led by a UK expert that included guidelines, national reports, and academic papers. Feedback solicited from other European experts was incorporated into our findings via an iterative process. Overall, the study highlights the stepwise evolution of the UK program that ultimately became successful largely due to ongoing collaborative efforts carried out at all levels. Centralized coordination of all aspects of the program remains a key driver of improved rates of organ donation and transplantation. The designation and empowerment of expert clinical leadership have helped to maintain focus and promote ongoing quality improvement.
Date Issued
2023-05-25
Date Acceptance
2023-04-14
Citation
Transplant International, 2023, 36
ISSN
0934-0874
Publisher
Frontiers Media S.A.
Journal / Book Title
Transplant International
Volume
36
Copyright Statement
© 2023 Johnston-Webber, Mah, Prionas, Streit, Wharton, Forsythe, Mossialos and Papalois. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) and the copyright owner(s) are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms
License URL
Identifier
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/37305339
PII: 11012
Subjects
LESSONS
Life Sciences & Biomedicine
organ donation
organ transplantation
Science & Technology
Surgery
SYSTEM
Transplantation
transplantation policy
UK
United Kingdom
Publication Status
Published
Coverage Spatial
Switzerland
Article Number
11012
Date Publish Online
2023-05-25