A combined team from LSE Health, the LSE Department of Health Policy, and the Department of Surgery and Cancer at Imperial College London, led by Professor Elias Mossialos and Professor Vassilios Papalois has published a Special Issue in Transplant International: "Maximising Potential in Organ Donation and Transplantation: Transferrable Paradigms."

This Special Issue presents a comprehensive conceptual framework that provides a blueprint for the components of successful national organ donation and transplant programmes. The goal of this framework is to guide assessments of such programmes, enabling the identification and prioritisation of policies aimed at improving access, efficiency and responsiveness of organ donation and transplantation services. 

Drawing on this framework, the joint LSE and Imperial College team presents a series of insightful country case studies. The studies highlight the distinctive features that have contributed to the success of organ donation and transplant programs in Croatia, Italy, Portugal, Spain, and the United Kingdom. They also elaborate on the valuable lessons that other nations can learn and apply from these cases.

Moreover, the team applies the framework to analyse the Greek organ donation and transplant system, a comparatively weaker performer. They provide thoughtful recommendations for its reform and development, with the goal of improving the health and care of people with organ failure. 

The Special Issue underlines the common features of successful organ donation and transplantation systems, shedding light on transferrable elements that can be applied elsewhere to improve performance. It serves as a valuable resource for policymakers, healthcare professionals, and researchers interested in enhancing the effectiveness of organ donation and transplantation systems.

The Special Issue is based on research undertaken for the Greek National Plan for Organ Donation and Transplantation, which was presented to the Greek government in 2021, funded by the Onassis Foundation. 

Please follow this link to read the full Special Issue.

Authors    

Charlotte Johnston-Webber, George Wharton, Elias Mossialos, Vassilios Papalois

Keywords

Organ donation, policy, organ transplant, comparative analysis, health systems