ETPOD DISSEMINATION: THE CONTINUITY OF A SUCCESSFUL TRAINING PROGRAM

Background:
Organ shortage is the major limiting factor for the further development of transplant programs worldwide. The advanced training of professionals active in organ donation is highlighted as a means to overcome this main shortcoming. A multicenter, prospective study including 25 target areas with active transplant programs was conducted from January 2007 to December 2009 and a three level intervention based on a collaborative methodology was designed: The European Training Program on Organ Donation (ETPOD).
ETPOD was developed in compliance with the training needs of health professionals involved in the various stages of organ donation and included the “Training for Trainers” course. It aimed at providing key donation professionals with the skills required to replicate the “Essentials in Organ Donation Training seminars” (EOD) designed to endow participants with basic knowledge related to organ donation.
Donation figures were compared before and after intervention, showing an increase of cadaveric effective donors detected and organs procured.

Objectives:
The aim of this study is to disseminate further on the educational tools created and analyze dissemination impact.

Methods:
EOD seminars have been carried out further on by the ETPOD participants. Moreover, participants from 22 countries, belonging to the European Transplant Network and the Mediterranean Transplant Network respectively, have benefitted from Training for Trainers Programs. New target areas have been established and EOD seminars carried out. Educational materials have been translated and adapted to the reality and needs of each country involved. A database has been created (http://www.etpod-dissemination.eu) to follow up EOD seminars and their impact on organ donation.

Results:
Nineteen new target areas from 18 different countries from Asia, Europe and South America have been established as following: Frantz Fanon CHU Blida (Algeria), Brazil, Nicosia (Cyprus), Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Kasr Al Aini University Hospital (Egypt), Estonia, Papageorgiou (Greece), Transplant Center- Ministry of Health (Israel), Lebanon, Lithuania, Tripoli Central Hospital (Lybia), Mater Dei Hospital (Malta), Palestine Medical Complex Ramallah (Palestine), Slovenia, Tunisia, Istanbul region and Central - Eastern Region (Turkey).
One hundred twenty-four EOD seminars have been carried out in the above-mentioned target areas and 6523 healthcare professionals have been trained.
Due to its feasibility, new organizations representing large populations and extended geographical areas have expressed their interest to implement the training program in their countries.

Conclusions:
ETPOD is a successful training program by having created creating quality educational materials with the support of the project participating organizations and the recognition of the European Commission through its “Action Plan on Organ Donation and Transplantation (2009-2015)”. After the official closure of the project, it has been further disseminated, training thousands of professionals involved in organ donation worldwide.