Introduction: The optimal treatment for end-stage kidney disease is renal transplant. However, only 1 in 5 (21.5%) patients nationwide receiving dialysis are on a transplant waitlist. Factors associated with patients not initiating a transplant evaluation are complex and include patient specific factors such as transplant knowledge and self-efficacy. Research Question: Can a dialysis center-based educational video intervention increase dialysis patients' transplant knowledge, self-efficacy, and transplant evaluations initiated? Design: Dialysis patients who had not yet completed a transplant evaluation were provided a transplant educational video while receiving hemodialysis. Patients' transplant knowledge, self-efficacy to initiate an evaluation, and dialysis center rates of transplant referral and evaluation were assessed before and after this intervention. Results: Of 340 patients approached at 14 centers, 252 (74%) completed the intervention. The intervention increased transplant knowledge (Likert scale 1 to 5: 2.53 [0.10] vs 4.62 [0.05], P < .001) and transplant self-efficacy (2.55 [0.10] to 4.33 [0.07], P < .001. The incidence rate per 100 patient years of transplant evaluations increased 85% (IRR 1.85 [95% CI: 1.02, 3.35], P = .0422) following the intervention. The incidence rates of referrals also increased 56% (IRR 1.56 [95% CI: 1.03, 2.37], P = .0352), while there was a nonsignificant 47% increase in incidence rates of waitlist entries (IRR 1.47 [95% CI: 0.45, 4.74], P = .5210). Conclusion: This dialysis center-based video intervention provides promising preliminary evidence to conduct a large-scale randomized controlled trial to test its effectiveness in increasing self-efficacy of dialysis patients to initiate a transplant evaluation.
Keywords: dialysis patients; education; kidney transplant; renal disease; video intervention.