Video education to facilitate patient outreach about living kidney donation: A proof of concept

Background Increasing living-donor kidney transplantation (LDKT) requires education of transplant candidates and their social network. This pre-post study tested the feasibility and acceptability of KidneyTIME, an intervention which leverages LDKT video-based educational content designed for sharing. Methods Adult kidney candidates undergoing transplant evaluation/re-evaluation and their caregivers at a single transplant center viewed different sets of KidneyTIME videos prior to evaluation. Change in LDKT knowledge, self-efficacy, and concerns was assessed before and immediately after exposure and 3 weeks later. Also assessed were post-exposure program feedback, online use, and living donor (LD) inquiry. Results A total of 82 candidates and 79 caregivers participated. Viewers of KidneyTIME demonstrated increases in mean LDKT knowledge by +71% and communication self-efficacy by +48%, and reductions in concerns by -21%. The intervention was received positively, with over 95% of participants agreeing that the videos were understandable, credible, and engaging. By 3 weeks follow-up, 58% had viewed it again, 63% of family clusters had shared it, and 100% would recommend the program to a friend. Time to LD inquiry was similar to historic controls. Conclusion KidneyTime improved facilitators of LDKT, was rated as highly acceptable, and was highly shared, but did not impact LD inquiry during the COVID-19 pandemic.