The National Marrow Donor Program's symposium on patient advocacy in cellular transplantation therapy: addressing barriers to hematopoietic cell transplantation.
Although hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT) is an effective treatment option for patients with life-threatening blood, immune system, or genetic disorders, many barriers besides a lack of suitably matched donors exist and can have an adverse impact on access and outcomes of HCT. In 2008, the National Marrow Donor Program, through its Office of Patient Advocacy, convened a diverse group of experts and transplantation survivors to identify persistent patient barriers throughout the transplantation process and to make recommendations for programs and initiatives to address these barriers, including new research opportunities. This group included transplantation physicians and other health care providers, relevant subject experts, and representatives from transplantation centers and patient advocacy organizations. Working groups were formed to identify patient barriers to HCT and to recommend and prioritize initiatives as they relate to the pretransplantation period, the early posttransplantation period, long-term survivorship, financial issues, and special populations. This report summarizes the symposium's deliberations and recommendations to address persistent patient barriers throughout the transplantation process.
National Marrow Donor Program, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55413, USA. emurphy@nmdp.org
Elizabeth A
EA
Murphy
Stacy Stickney
SS
Ferguson
Nancy Atieno
NA
Omondi
Lisa C
LC
Getzendaner
James L
JL
Gajewski
Gary A
GA
Goldstein
John R
JR
Wingard
J Douglas
JD
Rizzo
Navneet S
NS
Majhail
Navneet S
NS
Mahjail
D001853:Bone Marrow; D006297:Health Services Accessibility / Q000191:economics; D018380:Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation / Q000191:economics; D006801:Humans; D010344:Patient Advocacy; D017410:Practice Guidelines as Topic; D012042:Registries; D014019:Tissue Donors; D009927:Tissue and Organ Procurement; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014481:United States