Health Disparities in Kidney Transplantation for African Americans.

Health Disparities in Kidney Transplantation for African Americans. Am J Nephrol. 2017 Aug 05;46(2):165-175 Authors: Harding K, Mersha TB, Pham PT, Waterman AD, Webb FA, Vassalotti JA, Nicholas SB Abstract BACKGROUND: The persistent challenges of bridging healthcare disparities for African Americans (AAs) in need of kidney transplantation continue to be unresolved at the national level. This healthcare disparity is multifactorial: stemming from limited kidney donors suitable for AAs; inconsistent care coordination and suboptimal risk factor control; social determinants, low socioeconomic status, reduced access to care; and mistrust of clinicians and the healthcare system. SUMMARY: There are numerous opportunities to significantly lessen the disparities in kidney transplantation for AAs through the following measures: the adoption of new care and patient engagement models that include education, enhanced practice-level cultural sensitivity, and timely referral as well as increased research on the impact of the environment on genetic risk, and implementation of new transplantation-related policies. Key Messages: This systematic review describes pretransplant concerns related to access to kidney transplantation, posttransplant complications, and policy interventions to address the challenging issues associated with kidney transplantation in AAs. PMID: 28787713 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]
Source: American Journal of Nephrology - Category: Urology & Nephrology Authors: Tags: Am J Nephrol Source Type: research