Research summaries


Research is powerful, but only if it can be understood.

Medical research often uses complicated language, technical terms, and data that can be difficult to follow. Patients, carers, and allied health professionals need clear and accessible information to help them make informed decisions and feel empowered in healthcare conversations.

Making research easy to understand

The UK Organ Donation and Transplantation Research Network (UKODTRN) believes that knowledge should be accessible to everyone. 

New research provides important information about new treatments and better care for patients, but it is often clouded by complex words and technical language that can feel overwhelming to read. 

This is why we have created plain language summaries of published research about organ donation and transplantation to help make research findings accessible to all. 

Plain language summaries can help:

  • patients to better understand their conditions and feel confidents when making decisions about their care
  • carers to feel confident when supporting loved ones, knowing they have reliable and clear information
  • allied health professionals (such as physiotherapists, occupational therapists, and dieticians) to quickly access key research insights and apply them to their daily practice

When research is accessible, it empowers people to ask questions, be part of decisions, and find hope in new possibilities.