January 7, 2026

Streamlining transplant assessments shortens wait times

A quality improvement initiative at a transplant centre in Montreal shortened the transplant approval process for patients by 17 per cent. 

Kidney transplantation is the best treatment option for people living with kidney failure. However, long and complex eligibility assessments can significantly delay access to transplantation. Alexander Messina and colleagues examined the transplant assessment process at the McGill University Health Centre (MUHC) by reviewing the medical charts of 109 patients and conducting semi-structured interviews with health care professionals between January 1, 2019, and July 31, 2023.  

Health care professionals identified several barriers contributing to delays, including limited resources, unclear roles and responsibilities, poor coordination between information systems, and inequities affecting Indigenous patients. Additional delays were linked to required cardiology testing and cancer screening procedures such as colonoscopies and mammograms. 

To address these challenges, the team introduced a multi-pronged intervention. This included speeding up access to cardiology and cancer screening, hiring an Indigenous transplantation nurse, creating clear documentation guidelines to distinguish between routine tests and additional assessments, and holding regular meetings between the transplant centre and referring clinics. 

Within six months of implementing these changes, the number of Indigenous patients referred for transplantation doubled. The median time for patients to be added to the transplant waitlist also decreased by 17 per cent, dropping from 437 days to 362 days.