Increasing Communication about Live Donor Kidney Transplant: A Proof of Concept

(申请人提供)：应聘者：到目前为止，我的培训和研究主要集中在传播理论在促进器官捐赠方面的应用。我的短期目标是获得成功完成拟议研究所需的知识和技能，并在器官捐赠和移植方面进行有理论基础的翻译研究。我的长期职业目标是成为一名经验丰富的独立卫生服务研究员，致力于改善器官捐赠和移植的实践。 职业发展计划：我的职业发展计划结合了授课、专业培训和导师指导。具体地说，我建议获得公共卫生硕士学位，并参加培训活动，以增加我对公共卫生、研究方法、健康行为理论、赠款撰写、移植和健康传播的知识和熟练程度。 研究计划：肾移植受者追求活体供肾移植的一个主要障碍是缺乏与家人关于活体供肾移植的沟通。本研究提出发展和测试沟通技巧计划所需的形成性研究，该计划旨在增加考生与直系亲属讨论LDKT的信心和能力。半结构面谈是为了找出阻碍考生讨论LDKT的沟通障碍，并为开发一种工具提供信息，该工具评估考生的关系沟通技能、沟通能力、自我效能感(即自信)以及与家人讨论LDKT的意图。一个社区咨询委员会将帮助设计和评估一个与文化相关的沟通技能计划，教候选人与他们的直系亲属讨论LDKT。最后，该计划的概念验证测试将提供关于沟通技能计划对候选人的沟通能力、自我效能感、与家人讨论LDKT的意图、自我报告的LDKT讨论以及被筛选为潜在活体捐赠者的家庭成员数量的初步数据。 研究环境：弗吉尼亚联邦大学在赞助研究方面跻身全国前100所大学之列。VCU医学中心，包括休谟-李移植中心，是美国最大的学术医学中心之一。

DESCRIPTION (provided by the applicant): Candidate: Thus far, my training and research has primarily focused on the application of communication theories to the promotion of organ donation. My short-term goals are to obtain the knowledge and skills necessary to successfully complete the proposed research and to conduct theoretically-grounded, translational research in organ donation and transplantation. My long-term career goals are to become an experienced, independent health services researcher devoted to improving the practice of organ donation and transplantation. Career Development Plan: My career development plan combines didactic coursework, professional training, and mentored instruction. Specifically, I propose to earn a Master's in Public Health and participate in training activities to increase my knowledge of and proficiency in public health, research methods, health behavior theory, grant writing, transplantation, and health communication. Research Plan: A major barrier to kidney transplant candidates' pursuit of live donor kidney transplantation (LDKT) is lack of communication about LDKT with family. This study proposes the formative research needed to develop and test a communication skills program designed to increase candidates' confidence and ability discussing LDKT with members of their immediate family. Semi-structured interviews are proposed to identify communicative barriers impeding candidates' discussion of LDKT and to inform the development of an instrument assessing candidates' relational communication skill, communication competence, self-efficacy (i.e., confidence), and intent to discuss LDKT with family members. A Community Advisory Board will help design and evaluate a culturally-relevant communication skills program that teaches candidates to discuss LDKT with their immediate families. Finally, a proof of concept test of the program will provide preliminary data on the effects of the communication skills program on candidates' communication competence, self-efficacy, intent to discuss LDKT with family, self-reported LDKT discussion, and the number of family members screened as potential live donors. Research Environment: Virginia Commonwealth University ranks among the top 100 universities in the country in sponsored research. The VCU Medical Center, including the Hume-Lee Transplant Center, is one of the nation's largest academic medical centers.