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Related links United Network for Organ Sharing |
New organ distribution method planned
Posted
2-28-2000 Richmond, Va. The organization that maintains the U.S. organ transplant waiting list is seeking comments on a proposed plan to develop a new liver allocation policy. Issued by the United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS), the plan intends to improve the fairness of liver distribution nationwide and must be submitted to Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Donna E. Shalala by March 16. The current allocation plan has been criticized in part because waiting times can vary significantly between different regions of the country. For example, a recent HHS study found that only 21 percent of patients at the University of Maryland received liver transplants, compared to 89 percent of those at the University of Kansas Medical Center in Kansas City. The proposal, developed jointly by the UNOS liver/intestine and pediatric committees, recommends the development of a numeric scale to differentiate liver patients by the severity of their illness. And only objective, verifiable measures such as medical test results would be used to determine in which category a patient would fall. The committees recommended that the scale be developed by a forum of transplant organizations and other interested parties. Once the scale is developed, the proposal calls for UNOS to explore the establishment of broader organ allocation areas so patient need plays a larger role in who gets available organs. Transplant officials say they particularly welcome comments from nurses on the proposed plan. "Nurses play a unique role in the transplantation process, whether working with recipients, physicians, or the donor families," explained Bob Spieldenner, a UNOS spokesman. "They can bring a lot to the process." Comments on the proposal can be submitted to the UNOS Web site at www.unos.org.
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