Table of Contents
The Importance of Reporting Negative Findings:
Results from a Pilot Study on the Role of Social Support in Transplant Adherence
Janice Firn, PhD, MSW, Carly Fritsch, MSW, Rebecca Congdon, MSW, University of Michigan Health System; Emma Rathe, MSW, The University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics; and Claire Kalpakjian, PhD, MS, University of Michigan Health System
Social support is associated with adherence to medical treatments (Chisholm-Burns, Spivey, & Wilks, 2010). This is the first study to explore social support and adherence 6 weeks post-kidney transplant. Fifty-eight adult deceased-donor kidney transplant recipients participated in the study. Social support was assessed using the Modified Social Support Survey; adherence was defined as the proportion of appointments kept, immunosuppressant blood values, and the Immunotherapy Barrier Scale. Measures were completed at transplant, and at 2, 4, and 6 weeks post-transplant. Data were analyzed using linear mixed models with random effects for person. Variance in participants' adherence was hypothesized. However, all participants were adherent; no statistically significant relationship between adherence and social support was identified. Immediately following transplant, qualitative or mixed-method approaches may give better insight into facilitators of adherence.
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"Talking Control" as a Method to Improve Patient Satisfaction with Staff Communication in the Dialysis Setting
DeeDee Velasquez-Peralta, LMSW, Anna Ramirez, MPH, CPH, Heartland Kidney Network, Kansas City, MO; Judith Beto, PhD, RD, FADA LD, Loyola University Health Systems, Maywood, IL
Heartland Kidney Network developed the Take 5 to Tune In project utilizing the technique of "talking control" to improve communication between staff and patients in the dialysis facility. Face-to-face talking control encounters with a five-minute minimum were conducted with patients from June 1, 2014, through September 30, 2014. Five questions from the In-Center Hemodialysis Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (ICH CAHPS) experience of care survey were used to evaluate the success of the project. Overall, there was an increase of 5 percentage points in the combined rate of positive responses to the five ICH CAHPS questions. Talking control is an effective and simple means to improve dialysis provider communication and patients' satisfaction with their care.
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NKF Peers Mentoring Program:
An Overview and Lessons Learned
Kelli Collins, MSW, LICSW, Senior Director of Patient Services, National Kidney Foundation, New York, NY
The article provides an overview of the National Kidney Foundation's Peers mentoring program. Following a brief discussion of the evidence behind peer support across disease states, the article reviews data collected since the program's official launch in September 2011 through December 31, 2015. Potential challenges and lessons learned from the program to date are highlighted and discussed.
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Depression Among Dialysis Patients
Attending a Tertiary Care Hospital in Kerala, Southern India
Vincy Nelson, MD, Sreedas Gopalakrishnan, MD, Rakesh PS, MD, Sony Simon, MSc, Vibeesh Babu, MBBS, Vyshak Vikraman, MBBS, Sibi Abraham, MBBS, and Yumna Mohammed, MBBS, Department of Community Medicine, Travancore Medical College, Kollam, India
Identification and treatment of depression in chronic kidney disease (CKD) is important, since it can impair recovery, treatment, self-management, and quality of life. One hundred and twenty-one people undergoing hemodialysis in a tertiary care center in southern India were included in this study to assess depression in this population. Depression was evaluated using the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI). Among the patients, 33 (27.3%) were suffering from mild depression, 49 (40.5%) were suffering from moderate depression, and 19 (15.7%) had severe depression. Lower educational status [OR 3.77 (95% CI 1.34-10.63)], longer duration of dialysis [OR 5.75 (95% CI 1.79-18.44)], and hospitalization for indications other than dialysis in the last year [OR 3.88 (95% CI 1.34-11.27)] were associated with higher depression scores. It is important that all patients on routine hemodialysis be screened for signs and symptoms of depression, and this study contributes an international perspective to this important psychosocial determinant of patient outcomes.
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Strengthening Chronic Kidney Disease Knowledge
Among Students Attending a Historically Black University
Natasha W. Avery, DrPH, LMSW, CHES, Network 8, Inc., Ridgeland, MS; Sophia S. Leggett, PhD, MPH, Jackson State University, Jackson, MS; Luis A. Juncos, MD, Department of Medicine/Nephrology, University of Mississippi Medical Center, Jackson, MS
Chronic kidney disease (CKD) affects African Americans in a disproportionately high manner and progresses more rapidly than in other races. Lack of knowledge of CKD risk factors and progression may contribute to this disparity. The purpose of this non-random cross-sectional study was to determine the level of CKD knowledge among students attending a historically black college and university (HBCU). Men and women enrolled in healthcare administration, health education, social work, and public health courses were asked to participate in the study. The Chronic Kidney Disease Knowledge in College Students Questionnaire was utilized. A total of 270 participants from a single HBCU were included. The results demonstrate that CKD knowledge was low in this population, particularly among the younger college students. This study provides a foundation for CKD community education, and will be helpful to nephrology social workers in CKD settings and kidney organizations for specifically targeting and educating at-risk individuals.
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