In an effort to provide education about the treatment option of transplantation to dialysis patients, the Mendez National Institute of Transplantation (MNIT) developed a comprehensive education program for dialysis patients.
This program provides dialysis patients with personalized one-on-one education and support from specially trained organ transplant recipients known as Peer Educators.
The program takes place at dialysis centers and aims at helping patients make informed decisions about transplantation. The program emphasizes the life-long responsibility of post-transplant care and the importance of being proactive in health care before moving forward in the process of transplantation.
The program’s success can be largely attributed to the personalized communication between patients and Peer Educators. Patients, and their families alike, value the information shared by Peer Educators, who have themselves experienced kidney failure and transplantation.
Patients also appreciate the fact that Peer Educators are not only there to educate, but are able to understand, listen, and support them in a very unique way
Peer Educators empower dialysis patients to be proactive about their health and provide patients with extensive information regarding organ transplantation as an effective and long-term option that can greatly improve quality of life.
Education Project Achieving its Goals
The results of a survey conducted in December of 2007 exhibit an impressive rate of patient satisfaction in the program:
- 86% of patients surveyed gained a better understanding of kidney transplantation
- 90% of patients surveyed gained an awareness of the tremendous commitment that caring for a transplanted organ takes
- 92% of patients surveyed recommended the program to other patients
“While the preliminary evaluation indicates higher than expected results, these results do not come close to showing how dialysis patients have benefited from this program. Comments made by participants on their surveys indicates that the Peer Educators, who are transplant recipients, have provided a connection that healthcare professionals cannot, especially with patients who have language barriers,” stated Nicole Pinkerton, Project Director of the One-on-One Renal Disease Education Project.
Success of One-on-One Program Recognized
Ms. Pinkerton was a guest speaker at the combined International Transplant Nurses Society (ITNS) and Transplant Recipients International Organization, Inc. (TRIO) Symposium in September 2008 in St. Louis, Missouri. She spoke about the success of the One-on-One Program and the need for comprehensive pre-transplant education.
The ITNS is the premiere transplant nurses organization in the U.S. and Europe and TRIO is an independent, not-for-profit, international organization committed to improving the quality of life of transplant candidates, recipients, and their families.
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