Perception of kidney transplantation may be influenced by past experience, varies by sex
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Key takeaways:
- Many patients viewed transplantation positively as a way to end chronic dialysis restrictions.
- Some respondents raised concerns about procedure uncertainties.
Patients’ perception of kidney transplantation may be influenced by past transplantation experience and background with chronic kidney disease, according to a published study.
Past studies have “reported the existence of disparities in the access to [kidney transplant] KT. These disparities may be associated with socioeconomic level, ethnicity, the practice of nephrologists or with sex and/or gender,” Latame Komla Adoli, MD, MSc, of the Université de Rennes, wrote with colleagues. They added, “Hence, it is valuable to understand how these disparities arise and to identify factors on which action could be focused to improve access to KT.”
Their qualitative study of 99 patients with CKD and 45 nephrologists aimed to describe the transplant experience of patients on dialysis and nephrologists’ views on patient experience.
Overall, 42 male and 57 female patients aged 60 years or older who began dialysis in 2021 were included in the study. Of included nephrologists, 23 were women and 22 were men.
Researchers conducted semi-structured interviews with patients and nephrologists in France and considered patient age, sex and dialysis facility ownership. For nephrologists, the researchers accounted for sex and the number of years in the specialty. Data were analyzed in 2023.
Researchers highlighted a dual perception of transplant among respondents. While many viewed it positively as a way to end chronic dialysis restrictions, respondents were concerned about inherent procedure uncertainties. Adoli and colleagues also noted women’s perceptions and experiences differed from men, as they reported a psychological impact of the disease, such as concern about the refusal of living donor transplant.
Researchers identified the following six cumulative themes:
- burden of CKD on patients and families;
- provider-patient relationship and factors that impact CKD acceptance;
- perception of dialysis as a restrictive treatment;
- patients’ representation of the kidney graft;
- role of past experiences in transplant perception; and
- dualistic perception of transplant.
“These results suggest that actions on patients’ dialysis experience should be made to improve access to kidney transplantation,” the researchers wrote, adding that “targeted policies on these different factors might help to improve access to KT, and more research is needed to understand whether there are sex-based disparities.”
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