Watters Tara K, Scholes-Robertson Nicole J, Glass Beverley D, Mallett Andrew J
College of Medicine & Dentistry, James Cook University, Townsville, QLD, Australia.
Department of Renal Medicine, Cairns Hospital, PO Box 902, Cairns, QLD, 4870, Australia.
J Nephrol. 2025 Jun;38(5):1403-1412. doi: 10.1007/s40620-025-02331-4. Epub 2025 Jun 16.
Despite higher rates of chronic kidney disease and kidney failure in rural and remote populations, these patients are less likely to receive a kidney transplant. Additional barriers to kidney transplantation are associated with the need to travel to metropolitan areas where medical testing and transplantation facilities are located. We determined the opinions, attitudes, and experiences of both health professionals and recent kidney transplant recipients regarding kidney transplantation processes in Australia for patients residing in regional, rural, and remote areas.
A cross-sectional survey containing closed and open-ended questions was administered, with kidney transplant recipients from northern Queensland and Australian kidney transplant health professionals surveyed. Quantitative data were analysed using descriptive and inferential statistics, while a descriptive thematic method was used to analyse qualitative data.
Australian transplant health professionals (82) and recent kidney transplant recipients (77) participated. Almost all (97%) health professional participants agreed that receiving psychosocial support from peers would be beneficial for potential transplant recipients. Kidney transplant recipients rated information prior to transplant, potential medication side effects, high financial costs incurred related to treatment, and access to ongoing medication supply as the most important aspects in relation to their own experience. Prevalent themes around improving transplant experiences included enabling timely and flexible access to transplant assessment, reducing financial hardship, and fostering comprehensive psychosocial support.
Multiple aspects of current kidney transplant processes in Australia, and particularly northern Australia, could be optimised to improve patient experiences and clinical outcomes for regional, rural, and remote kidney transplant recipients.
尽管农村和偏远地区人群的慢性肾病和肾衰竭发病率较高，但这些患者接受肾移植的可能性较小。肾移植的其他障碍与前往设有医学检测和移植设施的大都市地区的需求有关。我们确定了医疗专业人员和近期肾移植受者对于澳大利亚为居住在地区、农村和偏远地区的患者进行肾移植过程的看法、态度和经历。
开展了一项包含封闭式和开放式问题的横断面调查，对来自昆士兰北部的肾移植受者和澳大利亚肾移植医疗专业人员进行了调查。定量数据采用描述性和推断性统计方法进行分析，而定性数据则采用描述性主题分析法进行分析。
澳大利亚的移植医疗专业人员（82人）和近期肾移植受者（77人）参与了调查。几乎所有（97%）参与调查的医疗专业人员都认为，获得同行的心理社会支持对潜在移植受者有益。肾移植受者将移植前的信息、潜在药物副作用、治疗产生的高额财务成本以及持续获得药物供应列为与其自身经历相关的最重要方面。围绕改善移植体验的普遍主题包括实现及时且灵活的移植评估、减轻经济困难以及提供全面的心理社会支持。
澳大利亚当前肾移植过程的多个方面，尤其是澳大利亚北部地区的这些方面，可以进行优化，以改善地区、农村和偏远地区肾移植受者的患者体验和临床结局。
