title: Live donor kidney transplantation: attitudes of patients and health care professionals concerning the pre-surgical pathway and post-surgical follow-up.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  We surveyed the following groups of individuals concerning their attitudes towards the pathway leading up to live donor kidney transplantation (LDKT) and post-operative follow-up: kidney transplant (deceased and live donor) recipients, live kidney donors and medical and nursing staff caring for end-stage renal disease and dialysis patients.
  
  
  METHODS
  Participants were recruited within a tertiary renal and transplant centre and invited to complete anonymized questionnaires, be involved in focus groups and undertake structured interviews.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A total of 464 participants completed the questionnaire (36% health care professionals and 64% patients). Most perceived donor risk as small or very small (62%), and 49% stated that a potential donor should be given up to 3 months to reconsider the decision to donate. Participants were almost equally divided as to whether consensus of the donor's family is necessary (46%) or not (44%) in LDKT. Seventy-one percentage of the participants suggested that patients have a greater appreciation of a LDKT if they have been on dialysis; 58% of participants thought that donor and recipient should recuperate beside each other after surgery; 45% thought that the post-operative follow-up for the donor should last up to a year; and 83% thought that donor follow-up should include medical status and quality of life. In the interviews, participants expressed several interesting views.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Participants believed that LDKT is safe for the donor, and the pathway to surgery and post-operative follow-up should be performed in a way that ensures lack of coercion and includes family support and an extensive post-operative follow-up.
authors: Imperial College Kidney and Transplant Institute, Hammersmith Hospital, London, UK. evmazaris@yahoo.gr
authors: Evangelos M
authors: EM
authors: Mazaris
authors: Jeremy S
authors: JS
authors: Crane
authors: Anthony Nu
authors: AN
authors: Warrens
authors: Glenn
authors: G
authors: Smith
authors: Paris
authors: P
authors: Tekkis
authors: Vassilios E
authors: VE
authors: Papalois
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