title: Exchange of best practices within the European Union: surgery standardization of abdominal organ retrieval.
abstract: Considering the growing organ demand worldwide, it is crucial to optimize organ retrieval and training of surgeons to reduce the risk of injury during the procedure and increase the quality of organs to be transplanted. In the Netherlands, a national complete trajectory from training of surgeons in procurement surgery to the quality assessment of the procured organs was implemented in 2010. This mandatory trajectory comprises training and certification modules: E-learning, training on the job, and a practical session. Thanks to the ACCORD (Achieving Comprehensive Coordination in Organ Donation) Joint Action coordinated by Spain and co-funded under the European Commission Health Programme, 3 twinning activities (led by France) were set to exchange best practices between countries. The Dutch trajectory is being adapted and implemented in Hungary as one of these twinning activities. The E-learning platform was modified, tested by a panel of Hungarian and UK surgeons, and was awarded in July 2013 by the European Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education of the European Union of Medical Specialists. As a pilot phase for future national training, 6 Hungarian surgeons from Semmelweis University are being trained; E-learning platform was fulfilled, and practical sessions, training-on-the-job activities, and evaluations of technical skills are ongoing. The first national practical session was recently organized in Budapest, and the new series of nationwide selected candidates completed the E-learning platform before the practical. There is great potential for sharing best practices and for direct transfer of expertise at the European level, and especially to export this standardized training in organ retrieval to other European countries and even broader. The final goal was to not only provide a national training to all countries lacking such a program but also to improve the quality and safety criteria of organs to be transplanted.
authors.affiliation: Dutch Transplant Foundation, Leiden, the Netherlands.
authors.forename: J A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: de Graauw
authors.affiliation: Hungarian National Blood Transfusion Service, Organ Coordination Office, Budapest, Hungary.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Mihály
authors.affiliation: Hungarian National Blood Transfusion Service, Organ Coordination Office, Budapest, Hungary.
authors.forename: O
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Deme
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, University Medical Centre Groningen, Groningen, the Netherlands.
authors.forename: H S
authors.initials: HS
authors.lastname: Hofker
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, Leiden University Medical Centre, Leiden, the Netherlands.
authors.forename: A G
authors.initials: AG
authors.lastname: Baranski
authors.affiliation: Department of Anatomy, Leiden University Medical Centre, Leiden, the Netherlands.
authors.forename: O P
authors.initials: OP
authors.lastname: Gobée
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, University Medical Centre Groningen, Groningen, the Netherlands.
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Krikke
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, Semmelweis University, Budapest, Hungary.
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Fehérvari
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, Semmelweis University, Budapest, Hungary.
authors.forename: R M
authors.initials: RM
authors.lastname: Langer
authors.affiliation: Nuffield Department of Surgical Sciences, University of Oxford, United Kingdom; European Society for Organ Transplantation (ESOT).
authors.forename: R J
authors.initials: RJ
authors.lastname: Ploeg
authors.affiliation: Organización Nacional de Trasplantes, Madrid, Spain.
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Marazuela
authors.affiliation: Organización Nacional de Trasplantes, Madrid, Spain.
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Domínguez-Gil
authors.affiliation: Dutch Transplant Foundation, Leiden, the Netherlands.
authors.forename: B J J M
authors.initials: BJ
authors.lastname: Haase-Kromwijk
authors.affiliation: Medical and Scientific Direction, Agence de la biomédecine, France. Electronic address: candide.font-sala@biomedecine.fr.
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Font-Sala
mesh_terms: D003194:Computer-Assisted Instruction; D003406:Credentialing / Q000592:standards*; D004501:Education, Medical / Q000458:organization & administration*; D005062:European Union; D006498:Hepatectomy / Q000193:education* / Q000592:standards; D006801:Humans; D006814:Hungary; D009392:Nephrectomy / Q000193:education*; D009426:Netherlands; D010180:Pancreatectomy / Q000193:education* / Q000592:standards; D018794:Problem-Based Learning / Q000458:organization & administration; D020858:Tissue and Organ Harvesting / Q000193:education* / Q000592:standards; D009927:Tissue and Organ Procurement / Q000458:organization & administration