Background: Although Hispanics have a disproportionally higher prevalence of end-stage renal disease than non-Hispanic whites, fewer waitlisted Hispanics receive living donor kidney transplants (LDKTs). Northwestern Medicine's® (NM) Hispanic Kidney Transplant Program (HKTP) is culturally targeted to Hispanics and associated with a significant increase in LDKTs among Hispanics. The HKTP was implemented in other transplant programs, but little is known about Hispanic perceptions of HKTP's culturally competency. We present preliminary findings from a multi-site study assessing potential kidney recipients' and potential living donors' perceptions of the HKTP's cultural components.

Methods: Participants were recruited from NM in Chicago, IL and Baylor University Medical Center in Dallas, TX. Semi-structured interviews were conducted to assess perceptions of the HKTP's ability to meet cultural, social, and linguistic needs of Hispanics. Cultural components assessed were the transplant physician's and transplant team's: biculturalism, linguistic congruence, sensitivity to identity, values, and beliefs, and participants' understanding and acceptability of living donation and transplantation. Qualitative thematic analysis and descriptive statistics were performed.

Results: To date, 11 potential recipients and 2 potential LDs participated (76% participation rate). Most participants were male (54%) and of Mexican descent (85%). Participants reported that the ability to speak Spanish was not sufficient to be perceived as bicultural. Participants stated that linguistic congruence requires that the provider be able to avoid or use colloquialisms of all Hispanic nationalities. All participants “strongly agreed” or “agreed” that the transplant surgeon and transplant team they interacted with were sensitive to their cultural identity, values, and beliefs. After attending the HKTP, most participants felt more favorable towards kidney transplantation (92%) and living donation (92%).

Conclusions: Our findings suggest that the HKTP staff were sensitive to the participants' identity, values, and beliefs, and positively shaped participant's perceptions of kidney transplant and living donation. Participants' perceptions of the HKTP can provide insight into how HKTP faculty and staff can improve its provision of culturally competent care, which may contribute to increasing LDKTs and reducing transplant disparities in the Hispanic population.

CITATION INFORMATION: Alhalel N., Francone N., Caicedo J., Ruiz R., Salazar A., Primeaux S., Gordon E. Hispanics' Perceptions of a Culturally Targeted Transplant Program: A Mixed Methods Study Am J Transplant. 2017;17 (suppl 3).

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