Mind the Gap: Disparities in Education on Organ Donation and Transplantation-Results of a Global Survey.
Abstract
Background: Widely accessible education on organ donation and transplantation (ODT) is a tool to reduce waiting lists, as <10% of transplant needs are met (Global Observatory on Donation and Transplantation). We aimed to assess the current state of access to education on ODT worldwide. Methods: We surveyed transplant physicians and surgeons worldwide. Respondents were classified according to the mean deceased donation (DD) rate per million population (PMP) of their countries from 2016 to 2021 (excluding 2020): Group (G) 1 (G1) no DD reported, or no data provided to Global Observatory on Donation and Transplantation; (G2) <10 DD PMP; (G3) 10-19.9; (G4) 20-29.9; and (G5) ≥30. We inquired about the availability of education on ODT in countries and regions. Results: We analyzed 311 respondents. We observed that the availability of education on ODT was as follows: in postgraduate education (77.2% in countries, 70.4% in regions), in undergraduate medical school (52.8%, 50.6%), in elementary school (14.2%, 14.2%), in high school (24.6%, 25.7%), and for the public (58.8%, 57.2%). The highest challenges were observed mainly in countries with lower DD rates. Conclusions: This worldwide survey suggests that there are areas for improvement at a global level in education on ODT, spanning from schoolchildren to the public and from undergraduate to postgraduate medical students. This is a "Call to Action" to close the global education gap.
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Authors: Andrea Herrera-Gayol, Medhat Askar, Hari S Meshram, Gabriel Eduardo Gondolesi, Nithya Krishnan, Karen M. Dwyer, Kumud Dhital, Stephen Beed, Stock Peter, Vivek B. Kute, Carlos Diaz, Mohammad Ghnaimat, Antoine Barbari, Mario Abbud-Filho, Ban-Hock Tan, John Gill, Jeffrey Schiff, Elias John Elenjickal, Mirela Bušić, Lara Danziger-Isakov, Hiroto Egawa, Gustavo Ferreira, Paola Garcia-Padilla, 하종원, Oscar Imventarza, Hawthorne Wj, Marti Manyalich, H Pilmore, Marina Berenguer, Beatriz Dominguez-Gil Gonzalez, Jean Tchervenkov, Shaifali Sandal, Marcelo Cantarovich
Institutions: Georgetown University, Dalhousie University, University of British Columbia, Tufts University, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, McGill University Health Centre, University of California, San Francisco, University of Toronto, Singapore General Hospital, McGill University, Seoul National University, Toronto General Hospital, MedStar Georgetown University Hospital, The Royal Melbourne Hospital, Westmead Hospital, Westmead Institute for Medical Research, Hospital de Base, Hospital de Base, St. Paul's Hospital, Specialty Hospital, Jordan, Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria La Fe, Hospital Universitari i Politècnic La Fe, Apollo Hospitals, Apollo Hospitals, Pontificia Universidad Javeriana, Instituto Cardiovascular de Buenos Aires, University Hospital Coventry, University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire NHS Trust, Tufts Medical Center, Auckland City Hospital, Westmead Institute, Montreal General Hospital, Rafik Hariri University Hospital, Hospital Universitario San Ignacio, Hamamatsu Rosai Hospital, Institute of Transplantation Sciences, Universidad Hospital Italiano, Argerich Hospital, Centro Universitário Academia, Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre, Conseil de L'Europe, Apollo Hospitals