Evaluation of a Website on Living Kidney Donation for Hispanics

The shortage of kidneys for transplantation, and ethnic disparities in living kidney donation rates are major public health problems. Hispanics need more kidney transplants, yet receive fewer living donor kidney transplants than they need. Factors known to contribute to Hispanics' low rates of living donation kidney transplantation include cultural beliefs, lack of knowledge, and negative attitudes about living kidney donation. Web-based interventions are promising as Hispanics are using the Internet at increasingly greater rates. However, few websites about transplantation are tailored to potential Hispanic kidney transplant candidates or the Hispanic community. This study aims to develop, test, and evaluate the effectiveness of a bilingual web-based educational resource targeted to Hispanic patients and the public, which can serve as a low-cost, convenient, and culturally competent tool to enhance knowledge about living kidney donation. Improving Hispanics' understanding about living kidney donation will promote their autonomy and self-determination by helping to ensure that Hispanic patients and public are fully informed of the treatment options for end-stage kidney disease.