Effectiveness and efficiency of teleimaging in the transplantation process: a mixed method protocol

Area of Science:

• Medical Imaging
• Transplantation Medicine
• Health Informatics

Background:

• Current organ procurement lacks real-time imaging for graft quality assessment, leading to suboptimal donor graft selection.
• The "Cristal images" project offers a teleimaging solution for real-time visualization of donor organs.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate if secure teleimaging enhances the effectiveness and efficiency of organ procurement and transplantation.
• To assess the impact of "Cristal images" on transplant process efficiency and transplant team decision-making.

Main Methods:

• A before-and-after study design using national organ allocation and transplantation registry data (2015-2016 vs. 2018-2019).
• Analysis includes heart, lung, liver, and kidney transplants, comparing outcomes pre- and post-"Cristal images" implementation.
• A preference elicitation study via interviews with professionals will explore transplant team preferences for technology components.

Main Results:

• Primary endpoint: number of successful organ transplantations.
• Secondary endpoints: efficiency metrics including decision-making time, transportation logistics, and cost-effectiveness.
• Qualitative data will reveal transplant team perspectives on "Cristal images" utility and adoption barriers.

Conclusions:

• The study will provide crucial data for stakeholders regarding the efficiency gains from real-time visualization in organ transplantation.
• Identifies key factors influencing the adoption and utilization of teleimaging technologies by transplant teams.