Document Type
DNP Project
Department
School of Nursing
Date of Degree
Spring 2022
Degree
Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP)
Primary Advisor
Cynthia L. Allen, PhD, APRN, FNP-BC; DNP Pearl Zhou, PhD, RN
Keywords
Telehealth; living donor kidney transplantation (LDKT)
Abstract
Background: Despite the advantages of living donor kidney transplantation (LDKT), there are barriers that potential donors face that make living donation less appealing. Research supports the use of telehealth as an effective method of enhancing access to care and building efficiencies.
Aims/Objectives: To evaluate access to care, effectiveness, financial impact, and experience after implementing telehealth as a means of communicating with living donors.
Methods: Utilizing a pretest-posttest design, an analysis was performed among medically cleared donors evaluated in-person between January 1, 2019 to December 31, 2019 (Control Group; N=64) and donors evaluated via telehealth (Zoom®) between January 1, 2021 to December 31, 2021 (Intervention Group; N=64). Mean outcome measures included referral date to evaluation date (access to care); evaluation date to medical clearance date (effectiveness); and estimated out-of-pocket costs related to travel and lost wages (financial impact). Telehealth Usability Questionnaires (TUQ) were used to evaluate healthcare provider/patient experience.
Results:Retrospective analysis of 128 randomly selected donors showed that compared to in- person evaluations, telehealth donors were scheduled for an evaluation faster (51.67 days [SD: 18.92] vs 30.45 days [SD:14.29]; p
Conclusion: The use of telehealth may improve access to care and alleviate the financial impact, making living donor evaluations more accessible and convenient for some interested individuals. Nevertheless, there is no best practice guidance available for living donor evaluations via telehealth. Collaborative efforts are needed to advance regulatory policies and ongoing assessment is needed to ensure telehealth remains a safe and effective option for evaluating donors.
Copyright Notice
©2022 Ashley Anne Hamby. All rights reserved.
Recommended Citation
Hamby, A. A. (2022). Evaluating Telehealth as a Means of Communicating with Living Donors and its Effect on Quality of Care. , (). Retrieved from https://hsrc.himmelfarb.gwu.edu/son_dnp/119
Open Access
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