D. Tagge1, V. Phan1, A. Wilton1, J. Rodrigue2, D. Taber1, K. Chavin1, P. Baliga1 1Medical University Of South Carolina,Division Of Transplant Surgery,Charleston, SC, USA 2Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center,The Transplant Institute,Boston, MA, USA
Introduction: Live-donor kidney transplantation (LDKT) is the best treatment option for end-stage renal disease (ESRD). Thus, educational practices concerning LDKT should be evaluated in order to optimize the message that health care providers deliver give to patients and their caregivers.
Methods: Anonymous questionnaire data were collected from recent post-transplant recipients. These patients had previously received formal education about LDKT during their initial transplant evluation. Their knowledge about the possible benefits of LDKT compared to deceased donor kidney transplantation (DDKT) and whether they wanted additional information on the possible benefits were collected and analyzed.
Results: 45 participants were included in the analysis; both groups (AA and non-AA) were similar for baseline demographics (Table 1). Both AA and non-AA reported a similar frequency of talking to transplant nephrologists about LDKT; however, AAs reported talking to their dialysis doctors about LDKT significantly more. AA and non-AA patients similarly recalled the potential benefits of LDKT compared to DDKT. However, further questioning revealed that AA patients desired more information on a variety of the benefits of LDKT compared to DDKT (Table 1).
Conclusion: These survey results suggest there are ethnic differences in how ESRD patients are educated about the benefits of LDKT, with AA patients having an increased need for relevant information pertaining to LDKT benefits.
