March 9, 2007
MGH
Transplant Center physicians, surgeons and transplant coordinators have
a new reason to stay up to date with messages on their wireless personal
digital assistants (PDAs). The United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS) has
implemented DonorNet, a new Internet-based organ allocation system that
allows the nationwide transplant community to be notified seamlessly and
securely of available organs for transplantation. This is an important feature
because the sooner a transplant takes place, the better the organ will function.
DonorNet alerts MGH Transplant Center staff of organs available through
the New England Organ Bank (NEOB) and also provides access to the waiting
list of patients for different organs, such as heart, lung, liver, kidney
and pancreas.MGH clinicians and staff members involved in the transplant process recently
were given Palm Treos, which are handheld PDAs, at a DonorNet training session organized by Nahel Elias, MD, of the Abdominal Transplant Program, and Joren Madsen, MD, DPhil, director of the new MGH Transplant Center. Within minutes
of notification, MGH staff members now can accept offers from the NEOB and potential recipients can be notified.
While these PDAs initially will be used for Internet access to the DonorNet system,
they also will be a component of the new MGH Transplant OnCall database and patient information system coordinated by Jay A. Fishman, MD, associate director of the MGH Transplant Center. The Transplant OnCall system provides around-the-clock access to essential patient data in the heart, lung and abdominal transplant programs at the MGH.
"The ultimate goal of these initiatives is to enhance the safety and quality of care provided at the MGH for these highly complex patients," says Fishman. "Many have worked hard to provide rapid access to the DonorNet system — James Chin and Jim Murray of Partners Information Systems; Henry Chueh, William Lester and Fareeda Osman of the LCS Development Team; Mary Lin Farrell of the Abdominal Transplant Program; Debra Doroni of the Department of Surgery; Dr. Elias and all of the MGH Transplant Center staff who have participated in the development of Transplant OnCall. We are very enthusiastic about the potential impact of these new technologies on the integration of all aspects of patient care, education and research at the MGH."