Follow-up of living kidney donors: A call for collaboration

Issue: BCMJ, vol. 62, No. 4, May 2020, Page 138 News
By: Shawna Mann, MD, FRCPC

Kidney donation in British Columbia is on the rise,[1] and that means the number of kidney donors in the province who require routine or specialized follow-up is becoming increasingly prevalent. While donors are chosen because of their excellent health status, after kidney donation, these individuals require medical vigilance to keep them in optimal health.

According to a recent environmental scan, the majority of kidney transplant programs in Canada do not have standardized donor follow-up. In BC, the current informal model relies heavily on family physicians to follow kidney donors on an annual basis to ensure that their basic kidney health parameters are satisfactory. If health concerns arise, the family physician will either manage the condition or, if necessary, refer the donor to a specialist.

The Vancouver Transplant Nephrologists and Canadian Blood Services have teamed up to improve and standardize the care and follow-up of people who donate a kidney. Our strategy to have the best possible medical care for kidney donors in the months and years after donation will be achieved through education and collaboration. Our collaborative efforts include stakeholder engagement with family physicians, kidney donors, and the care teams involved in living kidney donation.

We are seeking input from and partnership with physicians who either have kidney donors under their care, or have an interest in the care of kidney donors. Your involvement in the initiative can range from singular input to continuous participation. If interested, please email us at shawna.mann3@vch.ca.
—Shawna Mann, MD, FRCPC
Transplant Nephrology Locum, Vancouver General Hospital

References

1.    BC Transplant. 2019 organ donation and transplantation. Accessed 23 March 2020. www.transplant.bc.ca/Documents/Statistics/BCT-2019-Stats-FINAL.pdf.

Shawna Mann, MD, FRCPC. Follow-up of living kidney donors: A call for collaboration. BCMJ, Vol. 62, No. 4, May, 2020, Page(s) 138 - News.


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