Living Donor Kidney Transplantation: Best Practices in Live Kidney Donation--Recommendations from a Consensus Conference.

Livedonorkidney transplantation (LDKT) is a superior option for most patients with ESRD compared with dialysis anddeceaseddonorkidney transplantation (1). Much effort occurs in transplant and nephrology communities to educate and advocate for early transplant referral and live donor transplantation. Despite this, LDKT rates are declining annually (2). Reasons are multifactorial; however, practice variations in processes for referral, access to resources, and utilization of options, such as paired kidney exchange, contribute to disparities in rates of LDKT. Identifying what works, followed by wide dissemination of recommendations, is critical to improve practice and access to LDKT. TheAmericanSocietyofTransplantation’sLiveDonor Community of Practice is a group of clinicians with expertise in living kidney donation (LKD) formed in 2012 toadvocate, support, andadvanceknowledge in the care of the live organ donor. Members of the Live Donor Community of Practice recognized the need to identify effective strategies to improve access to LDKT/LKDand improve LKD education and evaluation processes. To this end, a consensus conference was held on June 5–6, 2014, in Rosemont, Illinois, and was supported by 11 transplant, nephrology, and patient services organizations (Table 1). Sixty-seven transplant surgeons, nephrologists, allied health providers, patients, and other key stakeholders used a structured forum to identify and disseminate best practices in the following topics, perceived to have a high likelihood to improve LDKT rates, access, and processes when implemented: