OPTN approves Independent Donor Advocate role & responsibiities update

[Clark]

http://optn.transplant.hrsa.gov/news/newsDetail.asp?id=1620

OPTN/UNOS Board of Directors addresses donation upon circulatory death, advocacy for living donors, plain language in policies

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In other action, the Board approved updated requirements for the qualifications and responsibilities of independent donor advocates (IDAs) at hospitals that recover kidneys from living donors. The IDA serves as a resource for the potential living donor and represents his/her interests in donor evaluation, separate from the medical decisions related to the potential transplant recipient.

The revised requirements address specific information the IDA must discuss with the potential living donor regarding psychosocial evaluation and medical evaluation. They also provide more specificity about the IDA's duties and responsibilities and require transplant programs to establish a process to address potential grievances raised by the IDA concerning the rights and best interests of the donor.

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Proposal text:
http://optn.transplant.hrsa.gov/PublicComment/pubcommentPropSub_320.pdf

[donor99]

Why does this regulation not apply to IDA's for liver and lung donors? Why just kidney?

[Clark]

Each organ is handled by its own policy making committee, and the Living Donor Committee got buy in for kidneys first. You aren't the first to question the delay in comparable guidelines for living liver donors, lung, intestine, etc.