Long -term transplantation made a high record last year, but I tried to flatten the stadium for many years, but it is still a game of opportunity to depend on the color of the skin, the size of the wallet and the postal code of the skin.
Recent study Posted on the Jama Network Open is less likely to be lung transplantation compared to blacks. And this is not about the lungs. Similar patterns are played in all long -term types. Journalists pay attention to organ transplantation inequality and play an important role in being responsible for the institution.
Researchers analyzed more than 30,000 patients with closure and limited pulmonary diseases, and found that black individuals were 39% less likely to be evaluated for lung transplantation compared to white individuals. Income and location affected the approach to treatment, but the black individual still faced a barrier to lung transplantation, regardless of neighbor.
However, people from poor neighborhoods were likely to have been on the list of transplants, and they were 97% more likely to die before receiving new lungs.
Number The transplantation of black and Hispanic recipients grew slightly in 2023 in 2023.This humble profit did not erase deep inequality of the system.
And this is not new. no way Previous study Similar racial imbalances have been found for similar racial imbalances, especially patients with complex immune system profiles. It suggests that the sustainability of these discoveries during multiple research and periods does not provide a fair accessibility to the institution that the US transplant system is saved.
Meanwhile, more than 100,000 people in the United States remain on the list of long -term transplants. Only half of them will be transplanted this year. All inequality in this system means losing life.
Why is this gap so wide?
that United Network for Long -term SharingSince 1986, non -profit organizations that have controlled US transplant systems have long faced criticism of incorrect management. In 2020, the Senate investigation was exposed Older infrastructure, non -efficiency and patient safety risk.
The cause of transplantation inequality is deeply rooted in systematic problems. If you are not accessible to poverty, insufficiency and professional transplant centers, some patients will be more difficult to explore complex transplantation. Patients in rural areas or underprivileged may not have a nearby transplant hospital.
The unconscious prejudice between medical service providers also affects the decision of a medical client, and there are fewer black patients on transplantation. Many patients, especially in minority communities, lack access to information about transplantation as a treatment option.
How to report journalists about transplantation inequality
- Digging data. Use the publicly available data Long -term procurement and transplant network (OPTN) Compare the transplant rate, waiting time and patient results of race and socio -economic groups.
- Put the human face into the number. Personal stories affect. Connect with community organizations that support transplant patients New York Lawyer for Public Interest (NYLPI)Immigrant New Yorker helps to explore the transplant system.
- Investigate the root cause of your community. Ask why it exists beyond reporting of imbalances. Talk with medical providers, patients, policymakers and advocates to reveal systematic barriers.
- Search for potential solutions. Some transplant centers are solving access intervals. Bring the evaluation team to the marginalized community. Investigate whether this initiative is different and can be reduced nationwide.
- I am responsible for the institution. Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) Center Increased long -term transplant access model (IoTA) On July 1, 2025, we aimed to improve kidney transplantation. It tracks how the hospital and transplant center are preparing. Is it causing meaningful changes before this implementation, or will reform be slow? Find the answer.
- Consider language. Avoid inconsistency by personal failure. Instead, focus on structural problems that limit access to the transplantation of the marginalized group.
The reason why transplant stocks are important
that Ethical meaning of transplantation inequality It is profound. The key problem is about fairness. Not only people with financial means or privileges, but also all people should be able to use life -saving treatment.
From a public health perspective, the inequality of transplantation contributes to the deterioration of health performance and deepens the existing imbalances. The end -level long -term failure has an unbalanced impact on the community of color, and when it is closed in the transplant system, health inequality worsens.
There is also an economic claim. Kidney transplantation is much more expensive than long -term dialysis. You can also make the same statement on other organs with each treatment. Increasing access to transplantation can save medical costs and greatly improve the quality of life of thousands of patients.
The US institution transplant system has been damaged. The same imbalances as what existed decades ago remain today. If the state is serious about narrowing this gap, policy change, medical system reform and investigation journalism will lead to meaningful progress.
Why are we still talking about transplantation in 2025? And more importantly, what is needed to change the story?
resources
Editor’s Note: This post has been updated to clarify that the IoTA (Increased Institutional Transplant Access Model), which will begin on January 1, 2025, will take effect on July 1, 2025.
