The organisation of the process of donating and transplanting organs is taken care of by transplant coordinators. Although their numbers in Poland are steadily rising, there is still not enough – one for every two million people. Meanwhile, there are six transplant coordinators for every million people in Spain.

As stated by the Polish Union of Transplant Medicine, there are hospital coordinators, who work in hospitals in which organ donations can be performed; regional coordinators, who work in institutions carrying out the transplants; coordinators of the Poltransplant Centre, which is active in the field of transplants in Poland and its operations include the coordination of organ donation and transplantation and keeping the records of the donors.

Assignments of a coordinator

The assignments of a hospital coordinator include the identification of individuals with brain death in intensive therapy wards, elimination of contraindications for organ donation, organisation of commissions diagnosing brain deaths, inspection of potential donors for registries in the Central Register of Objections, communication with the coordinator of the nearest transplant centre or Poltransplant department. A coordinator also secures the transport and documentation and provides care over the interests of a donor’s family and a donor’s body after the donation.

The regional coordinator assists the hospital coordinator in activities associated with preparing the transplant and prepares the departures of the transplant centre team to the organ donation location.

The Poltransplant Centre coordinator administers the lists of patients awaiting nonrenal organ transplant (the procedures are somewhat different for kidney transplants) and notifies the transplant centres of the possibility of donating the organs.

The responsibilities of this coordinator include the arrangement of the time for the collection of the material, assistance in the organisation of transport, and monitoring of the donation process.

Who can become a coordinator

The function of a transplant coordinator is usually performed by a person with medical education (Medical Doctor, nurse). The hospital director may appoint a coordinator from hospital personnel or hire someone specifically for this position.

Transplant coordinators must have knowledge in a scope wider than just medicine, also covering law, social studies, organisation and management, and medical statistics.

Skills in clinical psychology are also necessary, since a coordinator must be able to communicate with the family of a potential donor, provide the information on the death and the intent to take organs.

Coordinators are also responsible for developing the image of clinical transplantology; they conduct informational campaigns and keep necessary reports and statistics.

There is still a demand for specialists

In the opinion of Professor Wojciech Rowiński, national consultant for clinical transplantology matters and President of the Polish Union of Transplant Medicine, the optimal solution would be to have two coordinators in every hospital providing the possibility of organ donation – a Medical Doctor and a nurse. Coordinators are currently operating in half of such hospitals, i.e. in over 200 hospitals with so-called donation potential.

According to the Expert Committee for the Organisation of Cooperation in the field of transplants at the European Council, the numbers of coordinators are as follows:

  • 6 for 1 million residents in Spain;
  • 2.2 for 1 million residents in France;
  • between 1.6 and 0.6 for 1 million residents in other European countries;
  • under 0.5 for 1 million residents in Poland.
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