ODTC Project Snapshot: Donor Identification and Referral as a Critical Patient Safety Event Leading to Preventable Harm for Transplant Candidates

Donor Identification and Referral as a Critical Patient Safety Event Leading to Preventable Harm for Transplant Candidates

What is this project about?

Project background

Over 80% of transplants arise from organ donation after death, which is predicated on frontline healthcare professionals identifying and referring potential donors to local organ donation organizations in a timely manner.

Failure to identify and refer a potential donor in a timely manner is a critical patient safety event causing preventable harm to transplant candidates (an underserved and vulnerable population) in terms of longer wait times, disability and death.

Objectives

This project aims to develop an implementation strategy to reduce missed donor identification and referral opportunities and improve accountability mechanisms in deceased donation.

Overview of activities

  • Conduct an economic analysis of the resources required to implement system-wide potential donor audits.
  • Conduct a root cause analysis of the missed donor identification and referral opportunities and develop strategies to eliminate (or reduce) these missed opportunities.
  • Evaluate potential donor audit and feedback strategies to influence hospital and healthcare professional performance related to potential donor identification and referral.
  • Integrate donor identification and referral into hospital accreditation.

How will the project improve the organ donation and transplantation system in Canada?

The project will contribute to:

  • Reducing the number of missed potential organ donors identified and referred.
  • Increasing accountability mechanisms in the donation system.
  • Ensuring donor identification and referral processes become common practice in hospitals.
  • Embedding donor identification and referral as a standard component of end-of-life care.

The project leads

The project is led by the Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre.

Dr. Samara Zavalkoff Pediatric Intensive Care Unit, Montreal Children’s Hospital

Jehan Lalani System Development Specialist, Canadian Blood Services

“One of the Collaborative’s key goals is to maximize donor identification and referral in hospitals across Canada. We know that if a potential organ donor is not identified and referred, organ donation cannot happen."

EXPECTED PROJECT COMPLETION IN 2022

 

 

The Organ Donation and Transplantation Collaborative is an initiative led by Health Canada with provinces and territories (except Québec), Canadian Blood Services, patients, families, clinicians and researchers. Funded by Health Canada, the project Donor Identification and Referral as a Critical Patient Safety Event Leading to Preventable Harm for Transplant Candidates, contributes to the Collaborative’s vision to achieve organ donation and transplantation system improvements that result in better patient outcomes and an increase in the number and quality of successful transplantations. For more information, please consult the Organ Donation and Transplantation Collaborative (the Collaborative) website: https://tinyurl.com/ODTCollaborative.