From the Scientific Registry of Transplant Recipients, March 23, 2026
The Scientific Registry of Transplant Recipients (SRTR) has officially launched the new SRTR patient-friendly website, a platform tailored to patients and their caregivers as well as to transplant professionals. This new website, with a patient-centered focus area, is meant to provide education and resources in plain language for patients at any stage of their transplant journeys, including information for patients’ decision-making, resources for providers to counsel patients, and information to allow patients to be active participants in their unique transplant experiences. The SRTR website still houses all the tools that transplant professionals have come to rely on; this has not changed.
The new website highlights new content that patients can explore using an interactive transplant system map, helpful videos, and other resources.
New Dial Icons
SRTR has also launched new dial icons. These dial icons replace the previous 5-bar icons used to display transplant center performance. The change aims to improve data comprehension for patients, families, and health care professionals by providing a more intuitive and precise visual representation of center outcomes.
The update comes in direct response to feedback from key stakeholders, including patients and transplant centers, who expressed concerns that the previous 5-tier system was prone to misinterpretation.
“Our primary goal is to make complex transplant data as clear and useful as possible for everyone, especially patients making life-changing decisions,” said SRTR Director Jon Snyder, PhD. “The feedback we received made it clear that the old bar icons were sometimes misunderstood as a simple rating out of five. The new dial icons address that confusion head-on, offering a more informative snapshot of a center’s performance.”
Key concerns with the previous icons included their resemblance to consumer product reviews, where having fewer than five stars is often viewed negatively. The new dial icons are designed to prevent this comparison and more accurately reflect SRTR’s data-driven methodology.
The dial icon design was selected after extensive public testing. SRTR conducted a series of surveys comparing approximately 12 alternative designs. The dial icon was found to be the most effective at conveying the intended information. The new design was also reviewed by and received positive feedback from the SRTR Review Committee (SRC) and its subcommittees: the Patient and Family Affairs Subcommittee (PFAS), the Human-Centered Design Subcommittee (HCDS), and the Analytical Methods Subcommittee (AMS).
It is important to note that while the visual representation has changed, the underlying 5-tier evaluation system remains unchanged. The scientific methodology used to calculate center performance is the same calculation that has been in place. The new dial enhances this system by showing both the tier (via color) and the center’s exact score (via the pointer position), offering a greater level of detail than was previously available.
SRTR remains committed to continuous improvement and plans to explore future updates to help users better understand the differences between performance tiers. SRTR is also working to become more accessible to our patient population and to continue being a trusted source of information and partner with the transplant community to provide patients, caregivers, and living donors the resources they need.