ATC Abstracts

American Transplant Congress abstracts

  • Home
  • Meetings Archive
    • 2022 American Transplant Congress
    • 2021 American Transplant Congress
    • 2020 American Transplant Congress
    • 2019 American Transplant Congress
    • 2018 American Transplant Congress
    • 2017 American Transplant Congress
    • 2016 American Transplant Congress
    • 2015 American Transplant Congress
    • 2013 American Transplant Congress
  • Keyword Index
  • Resources
    • 2021 Resources
    • 2016 Resources
      • 2016 Welcome Letter
      • ATC 2016 Program Planning Committees
      • ASTS Council 2015-2016
      • AST Board of Directors 2015-2016
    • 2015 Resources
      • 2015 Welcome Letter
      • ATC 2015 Program Planning Committees
      • ASTS Council 2014-2015
      • AST Board of Directors 2014-2015
      • 2015 Conference Schedule
  • Search

Anatomy of a Conversation: Assessing ESRD Patients’ Transplant-Related Communication

H. M. Gardiner

Social and Behavioral Sciences, Temple University, Philadelphia, PA

Meeting: 2020 American Transplant Congress

Abstract number: D-071

Keywords: Kidney transplantation, Psychosocial

Session Information

Session Name: Poster Session D: Kidney Psychosocial

Session Type: Poster Session

Date: Saturday, May 30, 2020

Session Time: 3:15pm-4:00pm

 Presentation Time: 3:30pm-4:00pm

Location: Virtual

*Purpose: Live Donor and Deceased Donor Kidney Transplantation (LDKT and DDKT) confer meaningful survival, and quality of life benefits to patients with End Stage Renal Disease (ESRD), in comparison to dialysis. Research reveals disparities in access to kidney transplant as a treatment option, particularly among racial minorities. ESRD patients report feeling unprepared to hold discussions about transplantation with their social networks, which the literature reveals are prerequisites for successfully pursuing LDKT or DDKT. This study describes the baseline communication patterns of kidney transplant candidates enrolled in the randomized controlled trial, Communicating About Choices in Transplantation (COACH).

*Methods: Semi-structured phone interviews (N=252) assessed participants’ communication patterns, including their perceived communication competence and self-efficacy, perceived difficulties discussing transplantation, and actual kidney transplant discussions. Summary statistics were used to describe the participant sample. Categorical and dichotomous variables are presented as frequency counts and percentages; continuous variables are summarized as means and standard deviations.

*Results: Participants were, on average, 51.1 years of age, primarily African-American (69.1%), male (51.2%), with incomes under $39,999 (62.1%). Preliminary analyses revealed that candidates utilized an average of 12.6 (SD: 4.5) of 21 communication skills and reported mean self-efficacy score of 1148.8 (SD: 251.9) on a scale from 0 to 1500. Participants rated

2.6 (SD: 2.7) out of ten communication tasks as difficult, and on a scale from 7 to 49, had a mean communication attitudes score of 39.1 (SD: 7.6). At baseline, the majority (93.6%) of participants reported holding prior transplant conversations, and most participants (81.5%) intended to continue, however, just one-third (33.5%) of the sample initiated these transplant conversations.

*Conclusions: These findings indicate a need to develop patients’ communication skills to effectively lead transplant-related discussions and request living kidney donation with individuals in their social networks. In particular, interventions that include role play or other activities to foster patients’ communication self-efficacy, or confidence communicating about transplantation, are needed.

  • Tweet
  • Email
  • Print

To cite this abstract in AMA style:

Gardiner HM. Anatomy of a Conversation: Assessing ESRD Patients’ Transplant-Related Communication [abstract]. Am J Transplant. 2020; 20 (suppl 3). https://atcmeetingabstracts.com/abstract/anatomy-of-a-conversation-assessing-esrd-patients-transplant-related-communication/. Accessed May 11, 2025.

« Back to 2020 American Transplant Congress

Visit Our Partner Sites

American Transplant Congress (ATC)

Visit the official site for the American Transplant Congress »

American Journal of Transplantation

The official publication for the American Society of Transplantation (AST) and the American Society of Transplant Surgeons (ASTS) »

American Society of Transplantation (AST)

An organization of more than 3000 professionals dedicated to advancing the field of transplantation. »

American Society of Transplant Surgeons (ASTS)

The society represents approximately 1,800 professionals dedicated to excellence in transplantation surgery. »

Copyright © 2013-2025 by American Society of Transplantation and the American Society of Transplant Surgeons. All rights reserved.

Privacy Policy | Terms of Use | Cookie Preferences