Kefuri: A novel technological tool for increasing organ donation in Chile

Organ shortage for transplantation is one of the most challenging problems for modern medicine that affects all the world. While Spain, organ donation leader, registered 48.9 donors per million population on 2019, Chile only registered 10.4, which is less that the globe's average. While Spain has put its efforts in improving procurement process, Chile has given more importance to try to improve family refusal rates, leading to almost no growth at all. We studied Chilean organ procurement process using different quantitative and qualitative research tools, and discovered some process problems, where the main one was at the first 2 stages, where the possible donor should be identified in an emergency room and notified to the procurement unit. We discovered that 87% of possible donors were lost in those stages, neither they were appropriately identified nor notified, transforming these stages as critical and strategic to improve in order to increase the country's organ donation rate. So we asked if including technology in the first stages of the procurement process will increase possible organ donor identification and warning, and, therefore, effective organ donors. We designed a first-in-class smartphone app to easily and quickly warn the procurement unit about a possible organ donor, with the aim of automating those two failing stages. After training all health professionals working in emergency and critical care units of a main hospital in Chile and correcting all pitfalls detected by those users, we observed a statistically significant increase in both potential donor detection (93%) and actual donation rate (500%) making the app a very welcome innovation in both clinical units. Conclusions: Even though the process still depends on human criteria, we were able to increase possible organ donor warnings and, even, effective organ donors. Also, the technology helped the personnel to understand an unknown process for them and be aware of possible donors and warning them. Analysing, rethinking failing processes and searching for innovative solutions such as high end technologies could transform a country with poor organ donation rates and improve both end stage solid organ shortage and chronic disease patient survival.