Liver transplantation (LT) has been established as the most effective treatment modality for end-stage liver disease over the last few decades. Currently, patient and graft survival after LT are excellent, with 1- and 5-year survival of 90% and 80%, respectively. However, the timing of referral to LT is crucial for improving survival benefit and outcome. The current shortage of donors and the i...

Background: Lung transplantation is the only treatment modality that provides a survival advantage in pulmonary fibrosis, but many patients deemed suitable will die awaiting lung transplantation. While donor organ shortage undoubtedly contributes to this, late referral to the transplant centre may also play a role. This study investigates factors influencing the chance of patients with pulmonar...

PURPOSE OF REVIEW All current organ procurement policies require some form of consent. Many families refuse to permit organ recovery from a recently deceased relative; therefore, the major cost of requiring consent is the loss of some lives that could have been saved through transplantation. Here, we argue for a much more efficient approach to organ procurement from brain dead individuals - rou...

OBJECTIVE To analyze attitude of patients on the liver transplant waiting list toward living donation (LD). DESIGN AND PATIENTS Patients on the transplant waiting list -2003-2005 (n = 164)- were selected. Attitude was evaluated using a validated questionnaire, completed by an independent healthcare professional. RESULTS The questionnaire completion rate was 97% (n = 159). A total of 87% (n ...

BACKGROUND Integrated delivery methods in healthcare systems have been proposed to confront the increasing complexity in general health care. INTERMED is an empirically derived, observer-rated instrument to measure case complexity. It was intended as a visualized, action-oriented decision-support tool for the early assessment of bio-psychosocial health risks and health needs. This study aims to...

The proportion of low-income nonelderly adults covered by Medicaid varies widely by state. We sought to determine whether broader state Medicaid coverage, defined as the proportion of each state's low-income nonelderly adult population covered by Medicaid, associates with lower state-level incidence of ESRD and greater access to care. The main outcomes were incidence of ESRD and five indicators...

In April 2006, the Scottish Liver Transplant Unit became the first NHS transplant unit in the UK to offer adult Living Donor Liver Transplantation (LDLT). However, within the first 21 months of its availability, no patients on the transplant waiting list had pursued this treatment option. A qualitative interview study was devised to elicit the views of patients and their families with regards t...

Background: Renal transplant candidates are frequently declined access to transplantation secondary to obesity and poor functional status. To maintain candidacy on the transplant waiting list, these patients are often required to lose significant weight. Substantial weight loss commonly produces a panniculus, generating a transplant site at high-risk for wound complications, blocking access to ...

In 2001, the ophthalmology community in Manitoba lobbied the regional health authority to allocate additional resources for cataract surgery because of unacceptably long waits. Approval was given in principle for a partial increase in resources and this was implemented in March 2002. Cataract surgery in the region is monitored by a waiting list program that is used to track and prioritize all p...

The length of time that patients spend on waiting lists is a topic of current concern. Calculating the proportion of patients who have been on a waiting list for a long time by taking a census of patients on the list at a single point in time will tend to yield a higher estimate than that obtained by calculating waiting times of patients admitted to hospital during a period of time. To illustra...