SA CRC patients treated in the private healthcare sector have similar disease presentation to that in published international series, with similar outcomes following various treatment pathways; however, it seems that fewer resections of metastases are undertaken compared with international trends.

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The HS Programme made no difference to mortality in the first year of chronic dialysis. Early survival for both HS and non-HS groups was excellent when compared to international data. Increasing age and the presence of a CVC at the start of chronic dialysis were the two factors that impacted significantly on 1-year survival.

Background. Nurses are intricately involved in organ donation; however, the referral of donors appears to be declining in Johannesburg, South Africa (SA). This may be due to barriers in the referral process. Objectives. The objectives of this study were to explore nurses' knowledge of the organ donation process and to explore personal beliefs and attitudes around organ donation. Methods. A quantitative, self-administered questionnaire was completed by nurses in Johannesburg, SA. Results. A total of 273 nurses participated, of whom most were female and <50 years old. The majority of participants (64.2%) reported positive attitudes, and 63.2% stated that their personal beliefs about organ donation did not influence the advice they gave to patients. However, only 36.8% felt confident referring potential donors and 35.8% felt that referral was within their scope of practice. Most participants (84.5%) felt that it was the doctor's responsibility to refer donors, but 80.3% noted that they would refer donors themselves if there was a mandatory referral protocol. Only 61% of nurses were aware that there was access to a transplant procurement coordinator through their hospitals; however, there was uncertainty regarding the role of the coordinator. Conclusion. There is an urgent need to clarify the role of nurses in the process of organ donor referral in SA. Although nurses felt positive about organ donation, they expressed uncertainties about referring potential donors. However, if a clear protocol for referral was introduced, the majority of nurses noted that they would willingly follow it. We advocate for the development and implementation of a nationally endorsed protocol for donor referral and for the training of nurses in organ donation in SA.S Afr J Crit Care 2017;33(2):52-57. DOI:10.7196/SAJCC.2017.v33i2.322 As is the case in the rest of the world, the supply of donor organs in South Africa (SA) falls far short of the need for organs. The need to increase solid organ donor rates has spurred a number of innovative transplant programmes such as splitting livers from deceased donors, living donor liver transplants from adult donors to paediatric recipients, [1] and HIVpositive donor to HIV-positive recipient kidney transplants.[2] Such initiatives have generally been driven by motivated academic transplant teams at the hospital level, while there has been little corresponding change in transplant legislation or protocol at the national level, even though protocols for organ donor referral have been incorporated into best practice guidelines internationally.[3] There have been significant advances in transplantation in SA with regard to surgical technique and immunosuppression therapy that have allowed this specialised field of medicine to evolve with outcomes that are internationally comparable in many centres; [4] however, this is not supported by a solid regulatory framework that involves good governance procedures, national guidelines and protocols for clinical practice. Previous research in SA suggests that th...