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Why Do They Persist? Understanding Living Kidney Donors and Persistence
Kelly L Nottingham1, Hallie Klosterman1, Olivia Prevost2
1Department of Social and Public Health, Ohio University College of Health Sciences and Professions, Athens, OH.
Transplantation Proceedings
|January 10, 2025
Summary
Living kidney donors (LKDs) persist through challenging evaluations due to internal motivators like altruism and external factors like faith. Understanding these facilitators and burdens can improve donor support and increase kidney donations.
Area of Science:
- Nephrology
- Transplantation Surgery
- Psychology
Background:
- Living kidney donation is crucial but involves a challenging predonation evaluation (PDE) process.
- Many individuals persevere despite the multifaceted burdens of the PDE.
- Understanding donor experiences is vital for improving support systems.
Purpose of the Study:
- To analyze the experiences of living kidney donors (LKDs) during the predonation evaluation (PDE) process.
- To identify key facilitators, burdens, and coping tools influencing LKD persistence.
- To inform interventions for enhancing the living kidney donor journey.
Main Methods:
- A constructivist grounded theory approach was employed.
- Analysis of 105 blog posts reflecting LKD experiences during PDE.
- Thematic analysis to identify overarching themes.
Main Results:
- Three themes emerged: facilitators, burdens, and tools for mitigation.
- Internal facilitators (e.g., desire to help) and external facilitators (e.g., faith) drive persistence.
- Burdens included psychological (doubts, fears), financial, health risks, logistical issues, and communication problems.
Conclusions:
- The interplay of burdens, facilitators, and tools shapes the LKD PDE experience.
- A potential 'persistence spectrum' exists among LKDs.
- Findings can guide interventions to improve donor support and potentially increase living kidney donations.
