New policies to protect organ transplant recipients - Brief Article

AORN Journal, Sept, 2003

The United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS), operator of the Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network, has adopted new policies and procedures designed to provide additional safeguards for patients receiving organ transplants, according to a June 27, 2003, news release from UNOS. The new policies and procedures for organ matching and distribution clarify the specific roles of organ procurement organizations and transplantation centers in ensuring that systems are in place to verify and reverify critical information about candidates for transplantation and donor organs before a transplantation is performed. Key policy enhancements include that

* blood type is verified by at least two staff members at both the host organ procurement organization (OPO) and the transplant hospital,

* transplant program personnel check donor blood type when the organ arrives and compare it to the potential recipient's blood type, and

* transplantation centers and OPO's keep records of these verification procedures, which then are subject to routine UNOS audits.

OPTN/UNOS Recommends Additional Safeguards for Patient Safety in Organ Transplants (news release, Richmond, Va: United Network for Organ Sharing, June 27, 2003) http://www.unos.org/news/newsDetaiL.asp?id =273 (accessed 1 Aug 2003).