How to Structure a Successful Organ Donation and Transplantation System in Eight (Not So Easy) Steps: An Italian Case Study

Valuable information can be obtained from a systematic evaluation of a successful national transplant program. This paper provides an overview of Italy’s solid organ transplantation program which is coordinated by the National Transplant Network (Rete Nazionale Trapianti) and The National Transplant Center (Centro Nazionale Trapianti). The analysis is based on a system-level conceptual framework and identifies components of the Italian system that have contributed to improving rates of organ donation and transplantation. A narrative literature review was conducted and the findings were validated iteratively with input from subject matter experts. The results were organized into eight critical steps, including 1) generating legal definitions of living and deceased donation, 2) taking steps to ensure that altruistic donation and transplantation become part of the national culture and a point of pride, 3) seeking out existing examples of successful programs, 4) creating a situation in which it is easy to become a donor, 5) learning from mistakes, 6) working to diminish risk factors that lead to the need for organ donation, 7) increasing the rate of donations and transplantations via innovative strategies and policies, and 8) planning for a system that supports growth.