The Kidney Foundation of Canada (BC & Yukon Branch) recently released Kidney Transplants: British Columbians Have Spoken, a report detailing the opinions of more than 2,500 British Columbians on the challenges and solutions needed to address the urgent state of kidney transplantation and organ donor registration in B.C.
“We know that a kidney transplant cannot cure kidney disease, but it is a kidney patient’s best hope for a better quality of life,” said Karen Philp, executive director, The Kidney Foundation of Canada (BC & Yukon Branch). “Right now the demand for kidney transplants far exceeds the supply, and with British Columbians facing some of the longest wait times in Canada, this means far too many kidney patients will die waiting. This is not acceptable. We need to act now to change this situation.”
The report summarizes hundreds of insights and ideas from British Columbians, addressing critical issues faced by kidney patients and their families and how to help improve their quality of life.
Three of the top recommendations identified included:
• Confusion and difficulty around the process of registering to be an organ door topped the list. British Columbians feel strongly that increased accessibility is key to help increase the very low organ donor registration rates, and this included unanimous support to return to the process of organ donor registration with driver’s licence renewal.
• Lack of awareness about kidney disease and how serious it is, not just by the general public but also by high-risk populations and even family doctors, was a dominant theme throughout the research. To address these issues, British Columbians called for an innovative public awareness and media campaign, mandatory education for family doctors and more high-profile public engagement opportunities including community gatherings.
• Financial barriers (such as travel costs related to transplant surgery and loss of income while recovering from surgery) for both transplant recipients and living organ donors was another big concern. British Columbians said examination of current financial programs and how they can better support living kidney donors and kidney transplant recipients who live outside Vancouver is needed.
Research undertaken for the report included speaking with British Columbians through focus groups, online polling, a provincial survey and 12 community meetings held throughout the province.
Download the full report at: www.kidney.ca/bc/communityconversation
