title: Access to the kidney transplant waiting list: a time for reflection.
abstract: The limited availability of deceased donor kidneys for transplantation in Australia continues to be a matter of concern. Analysis of registry data suggests that the current renal transplant waiting list under-represents the real demand for three reasons. Firstly, a very low proportion of dialysis patients across all age groups are wait-listed for kidney transplantation; secondly, the percentage of dialysis patients listed for transplantation has fallen over time across all Australian states and territories; and thirdly, the number of patients wait-listed varies significantly across the country. We explore possible reasons for these issues and call for new eligibility criteria that are both transparent and justifiable and balance equity and utility.
authors.affiliation: Department of Nephrology, Prince of Wales Hospital and the Prince of Wales Clinical School, University of New South Wales, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. b.pussell@unsw.edu.au
authors.forename: B A
authors.initials: BA
authors.lastname: Pussell
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Bendorf
authors.forename: I H
authors.initials: IH
authors.lastname: Kerridge
mesh_terms: D001315:Australia; D006297:Health Services Accessibility; D006801:Humans; D007676:Kidney Failure, Chronic / Q000601:surgery*; D016030:Kidney Transplantation / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D012042:Registries; D006435:Renal Dialysis / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D014019:Tissue Donors / Q000706:statistics & numerical data / Q000600:supply & distribution*; D014850:Waiting Lists