African-American Attitudes Toward Kidney Transplant: A Comparative Analysis

Abstract

Racial disparities in kidney transplantation continue to persist despite voluminous studies attempting to address this problem. We conducted 26 semi-structured, one-on-one interviews with African-American and Caucasian dialysis patients to analyze whether or not there is a difference in attitudes toward kidney transplantation and whether or not this contributes to these disparities. Pre-dialysis education strongly correlates with a person’s willingness to get listed, while fear of surgery and care of the transplanted kidney, and interaction with peers who have gone through a failed kidney transplant, decrease the chances of getting listed. Subjects did not report racial bias in being referred or worked up for transplant. African Americans were more likely to weigh the pros and cons of transplants while Caucasians were more likely to see dialysis as temporary and viewed transplant as the default treatment for their kidney failure. All dialysis patients, but especially African Americans, may benefit from transplant education tailored to address specific patient concerns.