Shared Decision-Making in Kidney Patients: Involvement in Decisions Regarding the Quality of Deceased Donor Kidneys

Objectives: This study examined whether kidney patients want to participate in decisions regarding the minimal acceptable quality of deceased donor kidneys. We also explored patients’ opinions about the trade-off between a higher-quality organ with a longer waiting time vs a lower-quality organ with a shorter waiting time. Methods: A questionnaire was distributed among kidney patients. Additionally, a sub-sample of these patients participated in in-depth interviews, which were analyzed using the grounded theory approach. Results: Sixty-three percent of the patients wished to participate in decisions concerning the quality of a deceased donor kidney. The majority of the respondents indicated that they prefer a kidney of good quality and would therefore accept a longer waiting time. Responses to the qualitative interviews illustrated a more balanced choice regarding this trade-off. Conclusions: Many patients wish to be involved in deciding on the quality of the kidney, but it may evoke the experience of decisional conflicts when they have to make rational trade-offs between the desire for the best kidney at the expense of a longer waiting time.

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