Improving Utilization of Live Donor Kidney Transplant through Effective Patient-Provider Communication

Live donor kidney transplant (LDKT) is the preferred treatment modality for patients with chronic and end-stage kidney disease. LDKT is less expensive than prolonged dialysis and offers improved mortality and morbidity over either dialysis or deceased donor kidney transplants (DDKT). However, LDKT continues to be underutilized, despite efforts to increase access and interest. Decades of research point to patient-provider communication as a contributing factor to observed disparities in health and healthcare outcomes. To date, however, no attempt has been made to gauge the impact of the communication occurring during transplant evaluation consultations on LDKT outcomes. The long-term goal of the proposed study entitled, Improving Utilization of Live Donor Kidney Transplant through Effective Patient-Provider Communication, is to increase knowledge of and interest in LDKT for patients in need of kidney transplants. We propose a community-engaged, mixed-methods study employing a concurrent triangulation design to identify the specific communicative behaviors that result in live donor inquiries and evaluations, and actual LDKTs, providing critical information to the design of an intervention to improve patient-provider communication about LDKT. Specifically, we will simultaneously quantitatively assess patient and provider factors with established and hypothesized associations with receipt of LDKTs, and qualitatively assess discrete elements of patient-provider communication occurring during transplant evaluation consultations (Aim 1). Brief quantitative surveys administered before and after medical consultations held as part of the evaluation for transplant candidacy will capture providers’ (N=52) confidence and comfort discussing LDKT and patients’ satisfaction with the consultation, medical mistrust, health literacy, and LDKT knowledge, attitudes and readiness. We will also audiorecord transplant evaluation consultations for 120 patients across the two study sites (60 per site) – Saint Barnabas Medical Center (NJ) and Temple University Hospital (PA), and qualitatively assess the communication occurring during the consultations. We will use the findings to inform development of the content and format of a communication skills training for transplant providers and evaluate the direct and indirect effects of the training on patient-reported and LDKT process outcomes (Aims 2 & 3). Intervening at the provider level is both practical, given that all transplant candidates already must undergo this consultation, and efficient, given that a single transplant physician can evaluate >100 transplant candidates per year. Thus, the results of this innovative study have the potential to increase access to LDKT for Black patients currently awaiting kidney transplant. Improving communication during the transplant consultation may prove to be an effective and efficient means of increasing utilization of LDKT.