Pilot test of a patient decision aid about liver transplant organ quality

Prior studies have shown that patients are reluctant to accept donor-specific risks, and transplant professionals lack an effective and time-efficient means of obtaining informed consent. We designed and pilot-tested a Web-based patient decision aid (DA) on organ quality. The DA was administered to 53 liver transplant candidates (median Model for End-Stage Liver Disease score = 14, range = 7-26), and they took a mean of 15 minutes to complete it. Questions about knowledge and attitudes were asked before and after the DA. Subjects' knowledge improved, with 53% and 60% correctly answering questions about hepatitis B virus and human immunodeficiency virus transmission before the DA and 94% and 100%, respectively, correctly answering them afterward (P < 0.001). The accuracy of mortality prediction also improved from a mean 3-month mortality estimate of 22% before the DA to 12% afterward (P < 0.001). After the DA, subjects felt that it was more likely that they might be offered a less-than-perfect liver (P = 0.001), and they were more likely to consider accepting such a liver (P < 0.001). In conclusion, implementing a Web-based patient DA is feasible and improves knowledge among liver transplant candidates. The use of this tool may decrease candidates' reluctance to accept extended criteria organs.