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

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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.