“We hope that this study and others will lead to widespread adoption of this process, ultimately resulting in better treatment for end-stage kidney disease across Canada.” -Dr. Ann BugejaIf you were thinking of becoming a living kidney donor, would you rather do all your screening appointments in one day, or spread them out over six months?

A new study published in Kidney International Reports confirms that kidney donors prefer the one-day screening, with 100 per cent of study participants saying the process was both time-effective and cost-effective.

The Ottawa Hospital implemented the innovative one-day screening process in 2021 as a way to make it easier for people to become living kidney donors. Kidneys from living donors usually last around five years longer than kidneys from deceased donors and are considered the gold standard for treating end-stage kidney disease.

The study, led by Dr. Ann Bugeja, involved semi-structured interviews with 18 individuals who participated in the one-day screening process.

“We hope that this study and others will lead to widespread adoption of this process, ultimately resulting in better treatment for end-stage kidney disease across Canada,” said Dr. Bugeja.

See story in the Ottawa Citizen and TOH’s Healthy Tomorrows.

Authors: Lindsay Reid, Shreepriya Mangalgi, Gurraman Mann, Cynthiya Gnanaseelan, Natasha Hudek, Jamie Brehaut, Jessica McDougall, Heather Badenoch, Ariana Noel, Edward G. Clark, Kevin D. Burns, Greg Knoll, Manish Sood, Ann Bugeja.

Funding: The Ottawa Hospital Academic Medical Organization, the Canadian Society of Transplantation, and the Ajmera Centre Transplant Centre, University Health Network

Core resources: Ottawa Methods Centre

The Ottawa Hospital is a leading academic health, research and learning hospital proudly affiliated with the University of Ottawa and supported by The Ottawa Hospital Foundation.