Adapting Patient Education for Potential Liver Transplant Recipients in a Climate of Chronic Donor Organ Shortfall

Abstract

Liver transplantation is the established treatment for selected patients with acute liver failure or decompensated chronic liver disease. The procedure is not without its risks, however, and not every patient will survive. Although seldom recognized in the literature, education of patients is vital to the safety and success of transplantation. Before patients are accepted onto the transplant waiting list, both the patients and their families/caregivers must gain a complete understanding of the transplant process. In Birmingham, patients are not accepted onto the waiting list until a support package is agreed upon and in place. Patients and their partners/caregivers are required to attend a group teaching session presented by the transplant coordinators. This form of group teaching was introduced in response to the ever-increasing workload of the team due to an increase in the number of patients on the waiting list brought about by the chronic shortage of donor organs. An audit of this method of teaching was undertaken, and its effects on patients, their caregivers, and the coordinator team are described.