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Al Ammary F, Muzaale AD, Tantisattamoa E, Hanna RM, Reddy UG, Bunnapradist S, Kalantar-Zadeh K. Changing landscape of living kidney donation and the role of telemedicine. Curr Opin Nephrol Hypertens 2023; 32:81-88. [PMID: 36444666 PMCID: PMC9713599 DOI: 10.1097/mnh.0000000000000848] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
PURPOSE OF REVIEW There has been a decline in living kidney donation over the last two decades. Donors from low-income families or racial/ethnic minorities face greater disproportionate geographic, financial, and logistical barriers to completing lengthy and complex evaluations. This has contributed to the decreased proportion of these subgroups. The authors view telemedicine as a potential solution to this problem. RECENT FINDINGS Since the initial decline of donors in 2005, biologically related donors have experienced a lack of growth across race/ethnicity. Conversely, unrelated donors have emerged as the majority of donors in recent years across race/ethnicity, except for unrelated black donors. Disparities in access to living kidney donation persist. Telemedicine using live-video visits can overcome barriers to access transplant centers and facilitate care coordination. In a U.S. survey, nephrologists, surgeons, coordinators, social workers, and psychologists/psychologists across transplant centers are favorably disposed to use telemedicine for donor evaluation/follow-up beyond the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic. However, with the waning of relaxed telemedicine regulations under the Public Health Emergency, providers perceive payor policy and out-of-state licensing as major factors hindering telemedicine growth prospects. SUMMARY Permanent federal and state policies that support telemedicine services for living kidney donation can enhance access to transplant centers and help overcome barriers to donor evaluation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fawaz Al Ammary
- Department of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland
| | - Abimereki D. Muzaale
- Department of Surgery, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland
| | | | - Ramy M. Hanna
- Department of Medicine, University of California Irvine, Orange, California
| | - Uttam G. Reddy
- Department of Medicine, University of California Irvine, Orange, California
| | - Suphamai Bunnapradist
- Department of Medicine, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California
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Pascual J, Mazuecos A, Sánchez-Antolín G, Solé A, Ventura-Aguiar P, Crespo M, Farrero M, Fernández-Rivera C, Garrido IP, Gea F, González-Monte E, González-Rodríguez A, Hernández-Gallego R, Jiménez C, López-Jiménez V, Otero A, Pascual S, Rodríguez-Laiz GP, Ruiz JC, Sancho A, Santos F, Serrano T, Tabernero G, Zarraga S, Delgado JF. Best practices during COVID-19 pandemic in solid organ transplant programs in Spain. Transplant Rev (Orlando) 2023; 37:100749. [PMID: 36889117 PMCID: PMC9894830 DOI: 10.1016/j.trre.2023.100749] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/05/2022] [Revised: 01/30/2023] [Accepted: 01/30/2023] [Indexed: 02/05/2023]
Abstract
Clinical management of transplant patients abruptly changed during the first months of COVID-19 pandemic (March to May 2020). The new situation led to very significant challenges, such as new forms of relationship between healthcare providers and patients and other professionals, design of protocols to prevent disease transmission and treatment of infected patients, management of waiting lists and of transplant programs during state/city lockdown, relevant reduction of medical training and educational activities, halt or delays of ongoing research, etc. The two main objectives of the current report are: 1) to promote a project of best practices in transplantation taking advantage of the knowledge and experience acquired by professionals during the evolving situation of the COVID-19 pandemic, both in performing their usual care activity, as well as in the adjustments taken to adapt to the clinical context, and 2) to create a document that collects these best practices, thus allowing the creation of a useful compendium for the exchange of knowledge between different Transplant Units. The scientific committee and expert panel finally standardized 30 best practices, including for the pretransplant period (n = 9), peritransplant period (n = 7), postransplant period (n = 8) and training and communication (n = 6). Many aspects of hospitals and units networking, telematic approaches, patient care, value-based medicine, hospitalization, and outpatient visit strategies, training for novelties and communication skills were covered. Massive vaccination has greatly improved the outcomes of the pandemic, with a decrease in severe cases requiring intensive care and a reduction in mortality. However, suboptimal responses to vaccines have been observed in transplant recipients, and health care strategic plans are necessary in these vulnerable populations. The best practices contained in this expert panel report may aid to their broader implementation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julio Pascual
- Department of Nephrology, Hospital Universitario 12 de Octubre, Madrid, Spain.
| | | | | | - Amparo Solé
- Lung Transplant Unit, Hospital Universitario y Politécnico la Fe, Universitat de Valencia, Valencia, Spain
| | - Pedro Ventura-Aguiar
- Department of Nephrology and Kidney Transplantation, Hospital Clínic, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Marta Crespo
- Department of Nephrology, Hospital del Mar, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Marta Farrero
- Department of Cardiology, Hospital Clínic, Barcelona, Spain
| | | | - Iris P Garrido
- Department of Cardiology, Hospital Virgen de la Arrixaca, Murcia, Spain
| | - Francisco Gea
- Department of Gastroenterology, Hospital Universitario Ramón y Cajal, Madrid, Spain
| | | | - Antonio González-Rodríguez
- Department of Hepatology, Hospital Universitario Ntra. Sra. de Candelaria, Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Spain
| | | | - Carlos Jiménez
- Department of Nephrology, Hospital Universitario La Paz, Madrid, Spain
| | | | - Alejandra Otero
- Liver Transplant Unit, Complejo Hospitalario Universitario A Coruña, A Coruña, Spain
| | - Sonia Pascual
- Liver Unit, ISABIAL, CIBERehd, Hospital General Universitario Dr. Balmis, Alicante, Spain
| | - Gonzalo P Rodríguez-Laiz
- Hepatobiliary Surgery and Liver Transplantation Unit, ISABIAL Hospital General Universitario Dr. Balmis, Alicante, Spain
| | - Juan Carlos Ruiz
- Department of Nephrology, Hospital Universitario Marqués de Valdecilla, IDIVAL, Santander, Spain
| | - Asunción Sancho
- Department of Nephrology, Hospital Universitario Dr. Peset, FISABIO, Valencia, Spain
| | - Francisco Santos
- Department of Pneumology, Instituto Maimónides de Investigación Biomédica de Córdoba (IMIBIC), Hospital Universitario Reina Sofía, Córdoba, Spain
| | - Trinidad Serrano
- Department of Gastroenterology, Hospital Clínico Universitario Lozano Blesa, Aragón Health Research Institute (IIS Aragón), Zaragoza, Spain
| | - Guadalupe Tabernero
- Department of Nephrology, Hospital Clínico Universitario de Salamanca, Ibsal, Salamanca, Spain
| | - Sofía Zarraga
- Department of Nephrology, Hospital Universitario Cruces, Barakaldo, Spain
| | - Juan F Delgado
- Department of Cardiology, Institute i+12, CIBERCV, Hospital Universitario 12 de Octubre, Madrid, Spain
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