Transplant Procurement Management Model Training: Marked Improvement in the Mindset of In-Hospital Procurement Coordinators at Hyogo Prefecture, Japan

The Effect of Educational Initiatives on the Attitude and Knowledge of Health Care Professionals Regarding Organ Donation and Transplantation: An Integrative Literature Review

BACKGROUND

This integrative literature review synthesizes evidence on the effect of educational initiatives (EI) on the attitude and knowledge of health care professionals regarding organ donation and transplantation (ODT), and the EI effect considering the risks of the ODT process related to the professionals' attitudes and knowledge.

METHODS

This search included 8 databases, with search terms across 4 groups: ODT activities, health professionals, attitude/knowledge, and EI. We applied the PICO framework to select articles: Population - health care professionals; Intervention - any EI; Comparison - pre/post or intervention/control designs; and Outcomes - indicators of attitudes or knowledge toward ODT. After the appraisal of 2,221 citations, 21 studies were included in this review.

RESULTS

The EI varied to a great extent in terms of format (seminars, workshops, video lectures; online or in-person training), duration (from 15 minutes to 3 months), and the number of participants (from 12 to 1011). The effects reported were positive, increasing professionals' knowledge and attitude regarding the ODT process for all EI formats. Most articles (14; 67%) presented positive results with statistical significance for all indicators analyzed, and the remaining studies (7; 35%) reported statistical significance for some of the indicators analyzed. All EIs focused on donation or post-transplantation activities, lacking studies on the transplantation stage.

CONCLUSIONS

Results suggest that different types of EIs may positively affect the attitude and knowledge of health care professionals regarding the ODT process. This study provides an up-to-date overview of the main themes examined in this literature, highlighting critical knowledge gaps and methodological flaws.

Risk Analysis of the Organ Donation-Transplantation Process in Brazil

BACKGROUND

Organ transplantation has been for years one of the best treatment options for several medical conditions, and, all over the world, thousands of people need an organ transplant. However, the process through which an organ goes from a brain-dead patient to a new recipient is a complex and delicate one.

RESEARCH QUESTIONS

This study aims at identifying and assessing the main risks, their impact, and their relevance on the organ donation-transplantation (ODT) process in Brazil.

DESIGN

To identify and to assess the risks of the process, we interviewed coordinators at the 10 State Transplantation Centers in Brazil, which is responsible for over 90% of donations that occurred in Brazil in 2019. We applied the Failure Mode and Effect Analysis method to calculate the risks in terms of severity, occurrence, and detection. The scores obtained from each risk were used to elaborate a ranking comparing the impact of 1 risk in relation to the others.

MAIN FINDINGS

The interviewees identified 30 risks throughout the ODT process in Brazil. Most of them are related to insufficient human and material resources, lack of staff training and commitment, and poor infrastructure or logistical aspects.

CONCLUSIONS

This study complements findings from previous studies and add new risks, based on the Brazilian state coordinators' point of view. It highlights the most critical weaknesses of the process and serves as a basis for future studies to delve deeper into each of those risks.