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Open research questions in Organ Donation and Transplantation

273 gap statements mined from Organ Donation and Transplantation papers in our 7.9M-paper local library, which holds 2,230 papers on the topic — drawn mostly from each paper's own stated research gap, future-work, challenge and limitation notes, and its abstract. The ones listed below are a selection still marked open; each names the study that raised it, with a DOI link where the paper has one.

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What the literature leaves open

  • Misconceptions, fear, and religious concerns are major barriers to organ donation. Limited public awareness and understanding of the Human Tissue Transplant Act (2000) contribute to low donation rates. The study identifies the need to address sociocultural barriers and improve health literacy to increase organ donation rates.

    Factors Associated With Willingness to Support Organ Donation in Trinidad and Tobago · 2026 · DOI

  • Limited public understanding and low awareness of existing legislation contribute to low donation rates. There is a need to identify the demographic, psychosocial, and systemic factors that influence willingness to donate organs. The study aims to address the gap in knowledge about the factors associated with willingness to support organ donation in Trinidad and Tobago.

    Factors Associated With Willingness to Support Organ Donation in Trinidad and Tobago · 2026 · DOI

  • Thirty studies met inclusion criteria, with most focused on kidney and liver transplantation with limited evidence for thoracic transplantation.

    Equity in U.S. Solid Organ Transplantation for People Living With HIV: An Integrative Review of Barriers, Policies, and Interventions · 2026 · DOI

  • Most students considered that training on this subject was insufficient within the university curriculum and requested more formal, practical education on organ donation and transplantation.

    Perception, Knowledge and Attitudes About Organ Donation in Nursing Students at the University of Málaga · 2026 · DOI

  • These findings suggest that organ donation education could strengthen nursing students' preparedness and may inform future educational interventions; however, effects on family refusal rates or transplant-system outcomes should be examined in subsequent studies rather than inferred directly from this exploratory qualitative work.

    Perception, Knowledge and Attitudes About Organ Donation in Nursing Students at the University of Málaga · 2026 · DOI

  • Some kidney transplants come from donors with infections such as hepatitis C virus (HCV) infections, but little is known about the experiences of caregivers of patients considering these organs.

    Perspectives of Caregivers of Kidney Transplant Recipients and Transplant Candidates About Kidneys From Donors With Hepatitis C Virus Infection · 2026 · DOI

  • Kidneys from deceased donors with active hepatitis C virus infection (HCV-RNA+) are commonly transplanted into HCV-negative recipients, yet little is known about the perspectives of their caregivers.

    Perspectives of Caregivers of Kidney Transplant Recipients and Transplant Candidates About Kidneys From Donors With Hepatitis C Virus Infection · 2026 · DOI

  • Little is known about the relative importance of dialysis facilities and transplant centers on variability in starting an evaluation among patients referred for kidney transplant.

    Disentangling Dialysis Facility and Transplant Center Factors on Evaluation Start Following Referral for Kidney Transplantation: A Regional Study in the United States · 2025 · DOI

  • Although well-validated indicators exist for measuring organ donation and transplantation performance at the facility level, consensus on indicators for assessing national programmes is lacking.

    Performance indicators for organ donation and transplantation programmes in Europe: modified Delphi consensus study · 2025 · DOI

  • However, there is a lack of consensus on enrolment criteria, transportation, and ethical considerations for uDCD.

    Identifying organ donors attended by prehospital healthcare professionals – A scoping review · 2024 · DOI

  • The review identified a limited evidence-base regarding the role of prehospital healthcare professionals in organ donation.

    Identifying organ donors attended by prehospital healthcare professionals – A scoping review · 2024 · DOI

  • The practices that are essential for a high functioning organ donation and transplant system remain uncertain.

    High-Functioning Deceased Donor Kidney Transplant System Characteristics: The British Columbia Experience With an Opt-In System · 2024 · DOI

  • The factors associated with willingness to accept kidney transplantation remain unclear, and studies on kidney transplant willingness and associated factors among Taiwanese patients with ESRD are scarce.

    Willingness of Patients With End-Stage Renal Disease to Accept a Kidney Transplant and Related Factors · 2024 · DOI

  • However, there is a lack of data on these obstacles; therefore, this multicentre national audit aims to identify the factors that occur between the organs’ arrival at the implanting centre and transplantation.

    1089 Factors That Influence Cold Ischaemia Time in Deceased Donor Simultaneous Pancreas and Kidney Transplants: Results of a National Transplant Access to Theatre (NTACT) Audit · 2024 · DOI

  • Lack of technical knowledge and willingness to donate eyes. Cultural, religious, and informational obstacles to eye donation.

    Knowledge and Attitude Practices Regarding Eye Donation among University Students of Lahore: A Cross-Sectional Institution-Based Study · 2026 · DOI

  • Future studies can investigate the impact of educational interventions on enhancing awareness and intentions to donate eyes. Future studies can explore the factors that influence willingness to donate eyes among different populations. Future studies can develop and test interventions to improve knowledge and promote eye donation.

    Knowledge and Attitude Practices Regarding Eye Donation among University Students of Lahore: A Cross-Sectional Institution-Based Study · 2026 · DOI

  • There is a lack of awareness of rare anatomical variations during organ retrieval. The literature on supernumerary arteries and their impact on organ transplantation is limited.

    Abnormal kidney in deceased donor multiorgan retrieval: a case report · 2026 · DOI

  • There is a lack of understanding of the factors associated with attitudes towards organ donation in specific cultural contexts. Prior studies have identified factors associated with attitudes towards organ donation, but there is a need for further research in this area.

    Actitudes frente a la donación de órganos en población adulta de Chiclayo, Perú, 2025 · 2026 · DOI

  • Further studies should investigate the costs of kidney transplant in other countries. Further studies should compare the costs of different types of kidney transplant.

    Características clínicas y análisis integral de costos directos médicos y no médicos previos al trasplante renal en Colombia · 2026 · DOI

  • The lack of a structured ethical and clinical decision framework for rescue liver transplantation in patients with extrahepatic metastases. The need for a multidisciplinary team approach to guide the decision-making process.

    Rescue liver transplantation for liver failure with extrahepatic metastases: An ethical and clinical framework informed by two cases · 2026 · DOI

  • The decision to become a living organ donor is complex and influenced by various factors. The study's findings highlight the importance of considering the physical and emotional well-being of living donors. There is a need for further research on the decision-making, regret, and quality of life in living organ donors.

    Decision-making, regret, and quality of life in living organ donors: a cross-sectional study · 2026 · DOI

  • Hormone replacement therapy (HRT) can mitigate this damage when given in the critical care setting, but no standardized protocol for use at trauma centers exists.

    Hormone replacement before brain death increases organ donation rate after catastrophic brain injury: An EAST multicenter trial · 2026 · DOI

  • Early transplant access data was limited to 20 of 48 transplant centers across these 4 regions.

    Disentangling Dialysis Facility and Transplant Center Factors on Evaluation Start Following Referral for Kidney Transplantation: A Regional Study in the United States · 2025 · DOI

  • Despite most living donors being members of a patient's social network, how these networks impact donation is poorly understood.

    A Cross-Sectional Social Network Analysis of Decision-Making About Recruiting a Living Donor for Kidney Transplantation · 2025 · DOI

  • There are no standard guidelines for the management of traumatic CBI prior to brain death, and not all trauma centers have institutional CBI guidelines.

    Impact of catastrophic brain injury guidelines on organ donation rates: Results of an EAST multicenter trial · 2024 · DOI

Most-cited papers in Organ Donation and Transplantation

Most recent work

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Open questions raised by papers listed on this page include: (1) There is a need to identify the demographic, psychosocial, and systemic factors that influence willingness to donate organs (“Factors Associated With Willingness to Support Organ Donation in Trinidad and…”, 2026); (2) Some kidney transplants come from donors with infections such as hepatitis C virus (HCV) infections, but little is known about the experiences of caregivers of patients considering these organs (“Perspectives of Caregivers of Kidney Transplant Recipients and Transplant…”, 2026); (3) Future studies can investigate the impact of educational interventions on enhancing awareness and intentions to donate eyes (“Knowledge and Attitude Practices Regarding Eye Donation among University…”, 2026); (4) There is a lack of awareness of rare anatomical variations during organ retrieval (“Abnormal kidney in deceased donor multiorgan retrieval: a case report”, 2026); (5) There is a lack of understanding of the factors associated with attitudes towards organ donation in specific cultural contexts (“Actitudes frente a la donación de órganos en población adulta de Chiclayo,…”, 2026). 273 gap statements have been mined from Organ Donation and Transplantation papers in our 7.9M-paper local library, which holds 2,230 papers on the topic; the gaps come from whichever of those papers state one. They are mostly the research gaps the authors state and the papers' abstracts, plus future-work, limitations and challenges passages. The ones listed below are a selection still marked open; each names the study that raised it, with a DOI link where the paper has one, so you can read the original claim in context.

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