Evaluation of a Website on Living Kidney Donation for Hispanics

The shortage of kidneys for transplantation, and ethnic disparities in living kidney donation rates are major public health problems. Hispanics need more kidney transplants, yet receive fewer living donor kidney transplants than they need. Factors known to contribute to Hispanics' low rates of living donation kidney transplantation include cultural beliefs, lack of knowledge, and negative attitudes about living kidney donation. Web-based interventions are promising as Hispanics are using the Internet at increasingly greater rates. However, few websites about transplantation are tailored to potential Hispanic kidney transplant candidates or the Hispanic community. This study aims to develop, test, and evaluate the effectiveness of a bilingual web-based educational resource targeted to Hispanic patients and the public, which can serve as a low-cost, convenient, and culturally competent tool to enhance knowledge about living kidney donation. Improving Hispanics' understanding about living kidney donation will promote their autonomy and self-determination by helping to ensure that Hispanic patients and public are fully informed of the treatment options for end-stage kidney disease.

Inclusion criteria

• Adults (age ≥ 18 years)
• Hispanics/Latinos
• ESRD patients who are scheduled to attend each participating transplant center's education sessions. Sessions mark the first phase of evaluation in order for patients to get wait listed for a transplant or for others to become a living kidney donor.
• Family and friends who accompany patients to the transplant center.
• Identification as Hispanic/Latino.
• Ability to come to Northwestern 3 hours prior to the scheduled education session.
• Ability to read. Reading ability will be assessed using the 5-point Likert scale question validated in English and Spanish:13 "How often do you need to have someone help you when you read instructions, pamphlets, or other written material from your doctor or pharmacy?" People will be included if they reply 1-Never or 2-Rarely.

Exclusion criteria

• Non-identification as Hispanic/Latino.
• Inability to come to Northwestern 3 hours prior to the scheduled education session.
• Individuals who are not able to read Spanish or English. People will be excluded if they reply 3-Sometimes, 4-Often, and 5-Always to the question, "How often do you need to have someone help you when you read instructions, pamphlets, or other written material from your doctor or pharmacy?" .