Restructuring the Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network contract to achieve policy coherence and infrastructure excellence

The Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network (OPTN) went up for competitive bid again this year, yet this contract has been held by only 1 entity since its inception. The OPTN's scope has grown steadily, and it now embraces several disparate missions: to operate the computing and coordination infrastructure that maintains waitlists and makes organ offers in priority order, to regulate transplant centers and organ procurement organizations, to follow and protect living donors, and to decide organ allocation policy in concert with the many voices of the transplant community. The contracting process and performance work statement continue to discourage both innovative approaches to the OPTN and competitive bids outside of United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS), with evaluation criteria that either disqualify or strongly disadvantage new applicants. The performance work statement also emphasizes bureaucratic tasks while obligating the OPTN contractor to the specific committee structure that has impeded decision‐making and tended to preserve the status quo in controversial matters. Finally, the UNOS computing infrastructure is antiquated and requires months to years to implement small changes. Restructuring the OPTN contract to separate the information technology requirements from the policy/regulatory responsibilities might allow more nimble and effective specialty contractors to offer their capabilities in service of the national transplant enterprise.     

医务人员人格特质对知识共享绩效的影响

目的分析医务人员不同人格特质对知识共享绩效的影响。方法以五大人格理论为基础,提出研究假设,采取问卷调查方式,对各层级医护人员进行调查,以检验各项假设是否成立。结果医务人员的亲和性与开放性人格特质对医院知识共享具有正向支持（P＜0.05）,与知识共享绩效具有相关性（P＜0.05）,并且其通过知识共享间接影响知识共享绩效。结论医院应重视医务人员人格特质差异,改进人员选拔与考核机制,制定医务人员职业发展体系,营造支持知识共享的组织氛围,以提高知识共享绩效。     

Public attitudes toward contemporary issues in liver allocation

Allocation of scarce livers for transplantation seeks to balance competing ethical principles of autonomy, utility, and justice. Given the history and ongoing dependence of transplantation on public support for funding and organs, understanding and incorporating public attitudes into allocation decisions seems appropriate. In the context of the current controversy around liver allocation, we sought to determine public preferences about issues relevant to the debate. We performed multiple surveys of attitudes around donation and evaluated these using conjoint analysis and clarifying follow‐up questions. We found little public support that allocation decisions should be based solely on risk of waiting‐list mortality. Strong public sentiment supported maximizing outcomes after transplantation, prioritizing US citizens or residents, keeping organs local, and considering cost in allocation decisions. We then present a methodology for incorporating these preferences into the Model for End‐Stage Liver Disease (or MELD) priority score. Taken together, these findings suggest that current allocation schemes do not accurately reflect public preferences and suggest a framework to better align allocation with the values of the public.     

One Size Does Not Fit All—Regional Variation in the Impact of the Share 35 Liver Allocation Policy

Allocation policies for liver transplantation underwent significant changes in June 2013 with the introduction of Share 35. We aimed to examine the effect of Share 35 on regional variation in posttransplant outcomes. We examined two patient groups from the United Network for Organ Sharing dataset; a pre–Share 35 group composed of patients transplanted between June 17, 2012, and June 17, 2013 (n = 5523), and a post–Share group composed of patients transplanted between June 18, 2013, and June 18, 2014 (n = 5815). We used Kaplan–Meier and Cox multivariable analyses to compare survival. There were significant increases in allocation Model for End‐stage Liver Disease (MELD) scores, laboratory MELD scores, and proportions of patients in the intensive care unit and on mechanical, ventilated, or organ‐perfusion support at transplant post–Share 35. We also observed a significant increase in donor risk index in this group. We found no difference on a national level in survival between patients transplanted pre–Share 35 and post–Share 35 (p = 0.987). Regionally, however, posttransplantation survival was significantly worse in the post–Share 35 patients in regions 4 and 10 (p = 0.008 and p = 0.04), with no significant differences in the remaining regions. These results suggest that Share 35 has been associated with transplanting “sicker patients” with higher MELD scores, and although no difference in survival is observed on a national level, outcomes appear to be concerning in some regions.     

Downstaging Disease in Patients with Hepatocellular Carcinoma Outside of Milan Criteria: Strategies Using Drug-eluting Bead Chemoembolization

PurposeTo assess downstaging rates in patients with United Network for Organ Sharing stage T3N0M0 hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) treated with doxorubicin-eluting bead transarterial chemoembolization to meet Milan criteria for transplantation.Materials and MethodsA single-center retrospective review of 239 patients treated with doxorubicin-eluting bead (DEB) chemoembolization between September 2008 and December 2011 was undertaken. Baseline and follow-up computed tomography or magnetic resonance imaging was assessed for response based on the longest enhancing axial dimension of each tumor (ie, modified Response Evaluation Criteria In Solid Tumors measurements), and medical records were reviewed. Fisher exact tests and exact logistic regression were used to test the association of patient and disease characteristics with downstaging.ResultsAfter exclusions, 22 patients remained in the analysis, 17 of whom (77%) had their HCC downstaged to meet Milan criteria. Among those whose disease was downstaged, seven underwent transplantation, one remained listed for transplantation, six had disease progression beyond Milan criteria, two underwent conventional transarterial chemoembolization, and one underwent radiofrequency ablation. The seven patients who received transplants were still living, but recurrent HCC developed in two. Baseline age (P = .25), Model for End-stage Liver Disease score (P = .77), and α-fetoprotein (AFP) level (P = 1.00) were similar between patients with and without downstaged HCC. No associations were observed between the odds of downstaging and sex (P = .21), Child–Pugh class (P = .14), Child–Pugh class controlling for baseline tumor multiplicity (P = .15), Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status (P = 1.00), tumor burden (P = .31), multiple tumors (P = .31), or hepatitis C virus infection (P = 1.00). Fifteen patients who did not receive transplants were alive at 1 year, with two progression-free. Baseline AFP levels differed between those who survived 1 year and those who did not (P = .02), but did not differ by progression-free survival status (P = .62).ConclusionsT3N0M0 HCC treatment with DEB chemoembolization has a high likelihood (77%) of downstaging the disease to meet Milan criteria.     

不同图书馆开展阅读疗法的对比分析

从理论研究和实践研究两方面概述了我国医院图书馆、高校图书馆、公共图书馆开展阅读疗法的情况,结合对比分析论证了医院图书馆开展阅读疗法的意义。