13th Congress of the International Society for Organ Donation and Procurement (ISODP)Training programsImplementation and Sustainability of European Training Program on Organ Donation in Poland: Results and the Impact on Donation Indicators

•Hospital training supports the position of donor hospital coordinators and activates deceased organ donation.•In hospitals involved in the ETPOD program, the increase in organ donation indicators is greater than in the rest of hospitals.•Distinct benefit was observed in consent to organ donation.

BackgroundHospital training called ETPOD-Essentials in Organ Donation-was introduced in Poland in 31 hospitals with under-utilized potential of donation. The aim of this study was to assess the effect in hospitals included and not included in program, before and after trainings.MethodsThe number of potential and effective donors, organs used, and number (%) of family refusals were compared at 10 and in 20 months after the training and in equal periods before.ResultsIn trained hospitals, the number of potential donors increased (17% in 10 months, 10% in 20 months); in remaining hospitals, donors increased in 5% in both periods. In hospitals included in ETPOD, the number of effective donors increased (2% and 4.5%); in the whole country, donors also increased (5.6% and 2.7%). In ETPOD hospitals, the number of utilized organs increased (14.5% and 8.5%); in the rest, the increase was 3% and 7%. In trained hospitals, family refusals increased from 6.9% to 16.2% and from 8.9% to 10.7%; in the whole country, family refusals decreased from 11.7% to 11% in the short term and increased from 9.6% to 12.1% in the long term.ConclusionsIn hospitals involved in the ETPOD program, the increase in organ donation is greater than in the rest of hospitals. Distinct benefit was observed in consent to organ donation.