Engaging health care providers to improve the referral and evaluation processes for potential transplant candidates--The Toronto General Hospital Experience.

The Kidney Transplant Program (KTP) at the Toronto General Hospital has taken great strides in preparing to meet the needs of patients and health care providers, as the number of end-stage renal disease patients in Ontario increases. The KTP has begun the process of increasing engagement and collaboration with various stakeholders from the pre- to the post-transplant phase through (1) the development of innovative programs to increase the number of live kidney donations, (2) the development and maintenance of information technology solutions that work simultaneously to provide data to manage and treat patients, and conduct research, and (3) the development, implementation, and delivery of educational presentations and tools to various stakeholders both at the referring centres and the transplant program. Future steps for the KTP include evaluating the impact of these programmatic tools and activities on the number of referrals received and the subsequent effect on the number of transplants performed.