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Critical Care
Published in: Critical Care 1/2019

Open Access 01-12-2019 | Research

Interventions aimed at healthcare professionals to increase the number of organ donors: a systematic review

Authors: Marloes Witjes, Nichon E. Jansen, Johannes G. van der Hoeven, Wilson F. Abdo

Published in: Critical Care | Issue 1/2019

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Abstract

Background

The last decade, there have been many initiatives worldwide to increase the number of organ donors. However, it is not clear which initiatives are most effective. The aim of this study is to provide an overview of interventions aimed at healthcare professionals in order to increase the number of organ donors.

Methods

We systematically searched PubMed, EMBASE, CINAHL, PsycINFO, and the Cochrane Library for English language studies published until April 24, 2019. We included studies describing interventions in hospitals aimed at healthcare professionals who are involved in the identification, referral, and care of a family of potential organ donors. After the title abstract and full-text selection, two reviewers independently assessed each study’s quality and extracted data.

Results

From the 18,854 records initially extracted from five databases, we included 22 studies in our review. Of these 22 studies, 14 showed statistically significant effects on identification rate, family consent rate, and/or donation rate. Interventions that positively influenced one or more of these outcomes were training of emergency personnel in organ donation, an electronic support system to identify and/or refer potential donors, a collaborative care pathway, donation request by a trained professional, and additional family support in the ICU by a trained nurse. The methodological quality of the studies was relatively low, mainly because of the study designs.

Conclusions

Although there is paucity of data, collaborative care pathways, training of healthcare professionals and additional support for relatives of potential donors seem to be promising interventions to increase the number of organ donors.

Trial registration

PROSPERO, CRD42018068185
Appendix
Available only for authorised users
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Metadata
Title
Interventions aimed at healthcare professionals to increase the number of organ donors: a systematic review
Authors
Marloes Witjes
Nichon E. Jansen
Johannes G. van der Hoeven
Wilson F. Abdo
Publication date
01-12-2019
Publisher
BioMed Central
Published in
Critical Care / Issue 1/2019
Electronic ISSN: 1364-8535
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1186/s13054-019-2509-3

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