Predictors of having a potential live donor: a prospective cohort study of kidney transplant candidates.
The barriers to live donor transplantation are poorly understood. We performed a prospective cohort study of individuals undergoing renal transplant evaluation. Participants completed a questionnaire that assessed clinical characteristics as well as knowledge and beliefs about transplantation. A participant satisfied the primary outcome if anyone contacted the transplant center to be considered as a live donor for that participant. The final cohort comprised 203 transplant candidates, among whom 80 (39.4%) had a potential donor contact the center and 19 (9.4%) underwent live donor transplantation. In multivariable logistic regression, younger candidates (OR 1.65 per 10 fewer years, p < 0.01) and those with annual income >or=US$ 15 000 (OR 4.22, p = 0.03) were more likely to attract a potential live donor. Greater self-efficacy, a measure of the participant's belief in his or her ability to attract a donor, was a predictor of having a potential live donor contact the center (OR 2.73 per point, p < 0.01), while knowledge was not (p = 0.56). The lack of association between knowledge and having a potential donor suggests that more intensive education of transplant candidates will not increase live donor transplantation. On the other hand, self-efficacy may be an important target in designing interventions to help candidates find live donors.
Renal Division, 1 Founders Building, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA. peter.reese@uphs.upenn.edu
P P
PP
Reese
J A
JA
Shea
R D
RD
Bloom
J S
JS
Berns
R
R
Grossman
M
M
Joffe
A
A
Huverserian
H I
HI
Feldman
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D015331:Cohort Studies; D005260:Female; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006801:Humans; D007676:Kidney Failure, Chronic / Q000601:surgery*; D016030:Kidney Transplantation; D019520:Living Donors / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D018579:Patient Selection; D011446:Prospective Studies; D020377:Self Efficacy; D012944:Social Support; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D009927:Tissue and Organ Procurement / Q000379:methods*