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Live donor kidney transplantation: attitudes of patients and health care professionals concerning the pre-surgical pathway and post-surgical follow-up

  • Urology – Original Paper
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Abstract

Objectives

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.

Materials and 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.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Imperial College Kidney and Transplant Institute, Hammersmith Hospital, London, UK

    Evangelos M. Mazaris, Jeremy S. Crane, Anthony Ν. Warrens, Glenn Smith, Paris Tekkis & Vassilios E. Papalois

  2. 55 Thirlmere, Stevenage, SG1 6AQ, UK

    Evangelos M. Mazaris

Authors
  1. Evangelos M. Mazaris
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  2. Jeremy S. Crane
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  3. Anthony Ν. Warrens
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  4. Glenn Smith
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  5. Paris Tekkis
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  6. Vassilios E. Papalois
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Correspondence to Evangelos M. Mazaris.

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Mazaris, E.M., Crane, J.S., Warrens, A.Ν. et al. Live donor kidney transplantation: attitudes of patients and health care professionals concerning the pre-surgical pathway and post-surgical follow-up. Int Urol Nephrol 44, 157–165 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11255-011-9987-9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11255-011-9987-9

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