Solid Organ Transplantation (SOT) Summary Points for School Entry released today by Pediatric Infectious Disease Society (PIDS) and supported by pediatric transplant societies. The COVID-19 pandemic has raised additional challenges regarding upcoming school entry for vulnerable children, including solid organ transplantation (SOT) recipients. In response to mounting questions from families and SOT providers, a group of PIDS pediatric transplant ID physicians in collaboration with specialists with expertise in infection prevention, public health, and transplant psychology, convened to construct an expert opinion consensus statement regarding key considerations that providers and families can use as a framework when considering individual risk and shared decision-making about returning to school (K-12) this fall.
The statement summarizes available evidence, best practices, and consensus recommendations around key questions including:
Review of host-related factors allowing for individual risk stratification for children who may be at higher potential risk
Review of community and public health considerations that may impact the decision of returning to school in person
School-related considerations including preparedness and optimal infection prevention measures to mitigate risk
Review of the available published literature re: COVID-19 in pediatric SOT and school experience during the pandemic thus far
The full document has been submitted to JPIDS as a manuscript for consideration and has been supported by the Pediatric Infectious Diseases Society (PIDS), Society of Pediatric Liver Transplantation (SPLIT), the Starzl Network for Excellence in Pediatric Transplantation, the Pediatric Heart Transplant Society (PHTS), the Advanced Cardiac Therapies Improving Outcomes Network (ACTION), Improving Renal Outcomes Collaborative (IROC), American Society of Transplantation (AST), and the organization of Transplant Families. A summary FAQ document will also be made available for patients and families.
Guidance for parents can be found at http://www.pids.org/resources/covid-19/809-sot-school-entry-summary-points.html . A summarized version that can be given to school administration, teachers, and nurses included below.