International Travel for Organ Transplantation: A Survey of Professional Experiences and Attitudes Toward Data Collection and Reporting

Abstract

Background. Lack of data regarding international travel for organ transplantation (ITOT) hampers efforts to evaluate, understand, and respond to trends in ITOT activities, such as those suggestive of organ trafficking or “transplant tourism.” This study aimed to assess transplant professionals’ experience of ITOT and their attitudes toward reporting ITOT data to a global registry. Methods. An international cross-sectional anonymous survey of transplant professionals was conducted online (from October to December 2022). The English language questionnaire assessed professional experiences in providing care to individuals who had traveled to or from a country for living donation or transplantation, and attitudes toward reporting of ITOT data. Data were analyzed with descriptive statistics. Results. Two hundred thirty-nine individuals from 68 countries completed the entire questionnaire, of whom 79% had provided care for ≥1 patient who had traveled internationally for donation or transplantation. Of these, 60.8% of individuals (n = 115) had cared for ≥1 person who engaged in ITOT between 2019 and 2022, with the most recent case experiences involving 89 countries and 157 unique routes of international travel. Predominant concerns regarding reporting of ITOT data to a global registry related to prevention of harm and protection of patient privacy; most (52.7%; n = 126) respondents expressed a preference for anonymous reporting of ITOT data. Conclusions. ITOT is a global phenomenon and transplant professionals’ experience with ITOT cases is more common than anticipated. Systems for the collection of ITOT activity data should be carefully designed to address potential ethical concerns of transplant professionals which may influence reporting practices.