Community Engagement to Improve Equity in Kidney Transplantation from the Ground Up: the Southeastern Kidney Transplant Coalition

Curr Transplant Rep. 2021 Dec;8(4):324-332. doi: 10.1007/s40472-021-00346-x. Epub 2021 Oct 31.

Abstract

Purpose of review: The purpose of this review is to describe the Southeastern Kidney Transplant Coalition's mission, vision, goals, and Early Transplant Access registry as an example of a community/academic collaboration dedicated to improving access to transplantation and reducing inequities in transplant access.

Recent findings: The barriers and facilitators to referral and evaluation for kidney transplantation are not necessarily the same as for waitlisting and transplantation. Recent findings suggest that inequities in transplant access are multilevel and multifactorial and require continued community engagement to improve access to kidney transplantation across patients, health systems, and populations.

Summary: Community-engaged approaches are critical to ensuring that inequities in transplant access - which may vary across regions -- are not only described but are addressed in practice in a sustainable manner.

Keywords: access; population health; transplant.