[Outpatient monitoring after renal transplantation: protocols shared between transplant center and local nephrology units]

Abstract

Outpatient monitoring plays a key role in the long-term success of kidney transplantation. Shared management of transplanted patients between transplant centers and local nephrology units is becoming common practice and is a benefit both for the patients, who can be followed in an outpatient office closer to their homes, and for the transplant centers, which are overwhelmed by an increasing number of follow-up patients. The program is also well accepted by the referring nephrology units, which are interested in improving their skills. In this article a model of clinical collaboration is discussed, although it is well known that it is impossible to apply the same rules to all centers. However, to make any collaborative program feasible, two main requirements must be met. First, every local unit should have a referent nephrologist responsible for the clinical follow-up of transplant recipients and for the waiting list; second, every transplant center should organize transplant refresher courses for their referring nephrologists.