Increasing Transplant Awareness and Addressing Barriers to Transplantation among Patients on Dialysis

Background: End Stage Kidney Disease patients require dialysis or kidney transplant to maintain life. Kidney transplant has been recognized as their best option. Our aim was to identify barriers for transplant among dialysis patients. Methods: Patients were recruited from chronic dialysis unit requiring hemodialysis and age over 18. Patient with acute kidney injury on dialysis, dementia or hospice were excluded. Results: 126 were screened, 40 recruited. Mean age 60 ± 16 years, male (57.5%). Comorbidities: HTN (85%), DM (32.5%), CAD (25%). Table 1 14 patients were identified, who have either refused or lost to follow up. They were interviewed to explore the reason for refusal. It was concerning to realize that the patients had several pschosocial barriers and lacked proper transplant education. Table 2 Conclusion: Our study data has indicated a crucial need for enhanced awareness and kidney transplant education. Building upon these findings, we have launched an educational initiative aimed at providing nephrology trainees with the necessary skills to recognize and address the psycho- social barriers for referral. The multifaceted project entails 2 components: Enhancing the communication abilities of nephrology fellows to navigate challenging interactions with patients and integrating transplant education into patient encounters. We expect to contribute to nephrology field by having defined a feasible means to identify and create more enrollment.