title: Living-donor follow-up attitudes and practices in U.S. kidney and liver donor programs.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Although U.S. transplantation programs must submit living-donor follow-up data through 2 years after donation, the submissions have high rates of incomplete or missing data. It is important to understand barriers programs face in collecting follow-up information.
  
  
  METHODS
  Two hundred thirty-one programs performing living kidney donor (LKD) and/or living liver donor (LLD) transplantation were contacted to complete a survey about program attitudes concerning donor follow-up, follow-up practices, and barriers to success.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Respondents representing 147 programs (111 with only LKD and 36 with both LKD and LLD) participated. Sixty-eight percent of LKD and 83% of LLD respondents said that achieving follow-up was a high priority. The majority agreed that donors should be followed at least 2 years (61% LKD programs and 73% LLD programs), and sizeable percentages (31% LKD and 37% LLD) endorsed 5 years of follow-up. However, approximately 40% of programs lost contact with more than 75% of their donors by 2 years after donation. Follow-up barriers included donors not wanting to return to the program (87%), out-of-date contact information (73%), and lack of program (54%) or donor (49%) reimbursement for follow-up costs. Whereas 92% of LKD and 96% of LLD programs inform potential donors about follow-up requirements, fewer (67% LKD and 78% LLD) develop plans with donors to achieve follow-up.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Most respondents agree that donor follow-up is important, but they report difficulty achieving it. Improvements may occur if programs work with donors to develop plans to achieve follow-up, programmatic standards are set for completeness in follow-up data reporting, and sufficient staff resources are available to ensure ongoing post-donation contact.
authors: Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA.
authors: Amy D
authors: AD
authors: Waterman
authors: Mary Amanda
authors: MA
authors: Dew
authors: Connie L
authors: CL
authors: Davis
authors: Melanie
authors: M
authors: McCabe
authors: Jennifer L
authors: JL
authors: Wainright
authors: Cynthia L
authors: CL
authors: Forland
authors: Lee
authors: L
authors: Bolton
authors: Matthew
authors: M
authors: Cooper
mesh_terms: D001294:Attitude to Health; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D016030:Kidney Transplantation / Q000379:methods* / Q000592:standards; D016031:Liver Transplantation / Q000379:methods* / Q000592:standards; D019520:Living Donors / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D008297:Male; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014019:Tissue Donors; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014481:United States