Abstract: SA-PO697
Barriers to Communication with Providers among Pediatric Kidney Transplant Patients and Their Caregivers
Session Information
- Pediatric Nephrology - 2
October 26, 2024 | Location: Exhibit Hall, Convention Center
Abstract Time: 10:00 AM - 12:00 PM
Category: Pediatric Nephrology
- 1900 Pediatric Nephrology
Authors
- Amatya, Kaushalendra, Children's National Hospital, Washington, District of Columbia, United States
- Sgambat, Kristen, Children's National Hospital, Washington, District of Columbia, United States
- Dagnachew, Mesgana, Georgetown University, Washington, District of Columbia, United States
- Moudgil, Asha, Children's National Hospital, Washington, District of Columbia, United States
Background
Effective communication between pediatric transplant patient/families and the treatment team is essential to adjustment and adherence to medical regimen. Barriers to communication such as language, health literacy, trust and comfort in providers, and cultural beliefs can impact outcomes and thus should be identified and addressed. This project aimed to obtain baseline data on the major barriers to healthcare communication in transplant patients and families.
Methods
Participants were patients (n=30) and caregivers (n=29, total n=59) presenting to the post-kidney transplant clinic in a pediatric hospital. A survey of healthcare communication consisting of demographics and factors related to healthcare communication was developed and administered to patients or caregivers using an electronic tablet.
Results
The self-reported racial distribution was 21 Latinx (35.6%), 19 Black (32.2%), 10 White (16.9%), 4 Asian (6.7%), 3 Middle Eastern (5.08%), and 2 Other. 28 patients (47.4%) identified English and 15 (25.4%) identified Spanish as their primary language; others reported were Arabic, Korean, and Urdu. Participants noted being most comfortable talking to the treatment team about medications and least comfortable talking about emotional health and financial concerns. 2 participants noted feeling uncomfortable or somewhat uncomfortable reaching out to providers between visits and 1 noted feeling their healthcare providers are not invested in the patient’s health. 94.9% participants noted they think the healthcare providers’ advice is very important (others neutral) and 81.3% noted completely trusting their providers (others neutral or somewhat trust).
Conclusion
Patients presenting to our pediatric kidney transplant clinic are racially diverse and a significant portion do not use English as their primary language. While most patients and families are comfortable discussing medications with providers and trust provider’s advice, some may not feel comfortable reaching out to providers as needed and may not want to discuss certain topics that have direct and indirect implications on healthcare outcomes. It is imperative that these barriers be identified and adequately addressed. Future research should further explore barriers to communication and identify remedial methods to improve transplant outcomes.