Research Article

Cross-Border Quest: The Reality and Legality of Transplant Tourism

Table 1

Interview topics and example questions.

TopicExample question

Demographic variables-What education did you follow?
-What is your current job?

Organ trade and trafficking in the Netherlands-Do you know any cases involving illegal organ trade or trafficking in the Netherlands?
-Can you describe these cases?

Transplant tourism: number and nature-Are there patients who are removed from the waiting list (with the exception of those who died) who have not received a deceased or living donor organ?
-Are there patients who have gone abroad for organ transplants?
-Are there patients who have gone abroad to purchase an organ for transplant?
-How do you know the organs are purchased?
-How often do patients from your centre go abroad for paid organ transplants?
-Are these cases registered?
-How do these patients find information about transplants abroad?

Patient demographics-What is the age, sex, and nationality of these patients?

Destination countries-Which countries did these patients travel to?

Medical care-Do these patients need medical care when they return?
-What kind of complications occurred?
-Do you provide medical care?
-What does this care involve?
-Do you help patients before they go abroad?
-What kind of help do you give them?
-What are your reasons to help them?
-What are your reasons not to help them?

Information about the donor-Is there information available about the donor in the returning patient’s medical record?
-If so, what kind of information?

Information about the hospital and physician abroad-What kind of information is known about the hospital and/or physicians abroad?