Applying Best Practices to Designing Patient Education for Patients with End-Stage Renal Disease Pursuing Kidney Transplant

Abstract

Despite the known benefits of kidney transplant, less than 30% of the 615000 patients living with end-stage renal disease (ESRD) in the United States have received a transplant. More than 100000 people are presently on the transplant waiting list. Although the shortage of kidneys for transplant remains a critical factor in explaining lower transplant rates, another important and modifiable factor is patients’ lack of comprehensive education about transplant. The purpose of this article is to provide an overview of known best practices from the broader literature that can be used as an evidence base to design improved education for ESRD patients pursuing a kidney transplant. Best practices in chronic disease education generally reveal that education that is individually tailored, understandable for patients with low health literacy, and culturally competent is most beneficial. Effective education helps patients navigate the complex health care process successfully. Recommendations for how to incorporate these best practices into transplant education design are described. Providing more ESRD patients with transplant education that encompasses these best practices may improve their ability to make informed health care decisions and increase the numbers of patients interested in pursuing transplant.

Effect of the iChoose Kidney decision aid in improving knowledge about treatment options among transplant candidates: A randomized controlled trial

“…Previous studies have shown an association between higher transplant knowledge and better access to transplant. 12,30–33 If iChoose Kidney was used in a large population (eg, among all patients in a transplant center or for a longer period of time), an increase in knowledge has the potential to lead to an improvement in transplant access. In addition, administering iChoose Kidney among ESRD patients at dialysis facilities, where patients may be less likely aware of transplantation, would possibly have a greater impact.…”

“…Administering more comprehensive transplant education and materials in varying formats, 40 such as easy-to-understand written materials or culturally competent videos with patient stories could further improve ESRD patients’ ability to make an informed decision about their treatment options. 12 …”

Cultural competency of a mobile, customized patient education tool for improving potential kidney transplant recipients’ knowledge and decision-making

“…The MTC app resulted in statistically and clinically significant increases in patient knowledge The need for effective educational interventions in patients with ESRD is crucial as patients must choose between dramatically different renal replacement therapy options, especially given the ongoing and profound disparities in access to transplantation [22][23][24][25]. Patients with reduced access to specialty care and health information (e.g.…”

The Impact of Mobile Application Support on the Quality of Care of Kidney Patients

“…A total of 139 patients participated in the survey. As per the results, the patients showed a positive attitude and behavior towards mobile healthcare applications (Skelton et al, 2015). Israni et al (2016) have investigated whether the use of mobile application enhances the patient adherence rate or not.…”

“…Mobile applications are proving to be helpful in monitoring the kidney symptoms among patients at an early stage. A survey was conducted on the patients receiving treatment for kidney transplant by Skelton et al (2015). A total of 139 patients participated in the survey.…”