Health literacy and kidney transplant outcomes

Kidney disease is a common disease that is best treated through kidney transplant. The kidney transplant process is complex and can be difficult to navigate and most likely requires an adequate amount of health literacy.

To assess the relationship between health literacy and transplant outcomes, including whether a patient was listed for or received a transplant.

A cross-sectional study measuring patients' health literacy and transplant outcomes.

Participants from a single transplant center were invited to participate if they were referred to the center for transplant and spoke English. Of the 92 patients, 30 (33%) were in the vascular access clinic, 31 (34%) were posttransplant, and 31 (34%) were pretransplant.

Health literacy was measured by using 3 tools: Rapid Estimate of Adult Literacy of Medicine-Transplant (REALM-T), Newest Vital Sign (NVS), and Decision-Making Capacity Assessment Tool (DMCAT).

Two dichotomous variables: whether the patient was listed for transplant and/or received a transplant. Descriptive and univariate statistics were calculated. Six logistic regression models were used to test for a correlation between each of the tools and patients' likelihood to be listed for and/or receive a transplant.

Fifty-three patients (58%) were formally listed for a transplant, and 36 (39%) received a transplant. The REALM-T, NVS, and DMCAT each significantly predicted whether or not a patient was listed for transplant (odds ratios, 1.044, 1.672, and 1.408). The NVS and DMCAT significantly predicted whether a patient received a transplant (odds ratios, 1.667 and 1.256). Health literacy is a positive and significant predictor of transplant outcomes. Clinicians should take assessments of health literacy into account when speaking to patients about kidney transplant.