Psychosocial aspects of kidney transplantation in kidney transplant recipients and living donors

Transplantation remains the optimal treatment for patients with end stage renal disease. In order to determine suitability for transplant, individuals must undergo thorough medical, surgical, and psychosocial evaluations. A successful transplant requires optimization of all three of these areas. Similarly, living kidney donors must undergo an equally robust assessment, with special emphasis on assessing the motivation for donation, lack of coercion, and a true state of voluntariness. For both transplant recipients and living donors, pre-existent psychosocial predictors can influence post-event outcomes. Therefore, the goal of the evaluation is to recognize candidates with risks and barriers requiring multidisciplinary interventions, both before and after transplantation or donation.