Member's paper - Kidney Health Education and Research Group

Abstract

Using the Explore Transplant Ontario Program (ETO) to Increase Transplant Knowledge and Readiness among Patients on Maintenance Dialysis

Dmitri Belenko1, Candice Richardson1, Vardaan Gupta1, Tibyan Ahmed1, Nathaniel Edwards1, Marta Novak2, John Devin Peipert3, Amy Waterman3, Istvan Mucsi1

2018

American Transplant Congress

Full Abstract
Introduction Kidney transplantation (KT) is the preferred treatment for patients with End-Stage Kidney Disease (ESKD), yet many potentially eligible patients do not act to pursue KT. In this pilot study, we assessed the impact of the ETO transplant education program on increasing KT knowledge and readiness for pursuing KT. Materials and Methods In this non-randomized, parallel arm prospective follow-up study, we recruited 230 maintenance dialysis ESKD patients from two hospitals. Control group patients (n=106) received KT education as usual. Intervention group patients received the ETO package, which combines informational KT brochures with video testimonials from patients & donors about their KT experience, as well as regular discussions about the ETO package. KT readiness and knowledge were assessed with validated questionnaires at baseline & 6 and 9 months afterwards. Results The intervention group was significantly older (mean [SD] age = 63 [10] vs 55 [14], p<0.001) and less likely to have completed Grade 12 (57% vs 88%, p<0.001). Baseline knowledge scores were higher in the control group (mean [SD] 8.41 [3.6] vs 7.29 [3.2], p<0.05). At baseline, intervention and control patients in the intervention group had similar deceased donor KT (DDKT) readiness (44% vs 51%, p=0.28) and living donor KT (LDKT) readiness (56% vs 53%, p=0.70). At 6 months, KT knowledge scores increased for both groups, with significantly greater increase for the intervention group (mean [SD]: 1.68 [3.3] vs 0.72 [2.6], p=0.03). Intervention group patients who watched the videos compared to those who did not had near significantly higher KT knowledge (mean [SD] 9.5 [3.1] vs 8.3 [3.5], p=0.06) and were significantly more likely to increase in LDKT readiness after 6 months (23% vs 5%, p=0.02), with qualitatively similar results at 9 months. The majority of patients surveyed at the end of the study rated the ETO package education process as very useful. Conclusion Transplant education using the ETO program, particularly the use of videos, lead to improvements in KT knowledge and readiness for LDKT in Canadian dialysis patients

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