Providing expert guidance in the evidence-based medicine era?

Excerpt

Thousands of Canadians with end-organ dysfunction wait on recipient lists hoping to receive an organ before they die from their underlying disease.1 In this issue of the Journal, Zavalkoff et al. provide expert guidance regarding the identification of potential organ donors and methods for ensuring system accountability.2 Their guidance is based on a consensus conference of experts in the field of organ donation and other stakeholders from across Canada, including patient and family partners. Themes addressed include: 1) expectations of donors, recipients, and their families, 2) donor identification and referral, 3) enhancing accountability—identifying gaps and solutions, and 4) enhancing accountability—improving quality and safety. While it is clearly a priority to increase the number of available organs for transplantation, of equal importance are the procedures addressing the identification of potential donors and those assessing system accountability, which are fragmented and lack inter-provincial standardization. The objective of this document is to fill this void and address these current system-based limitations. …