Journal
AMERICAN JOURNAL OF TRANSPLANTATION
Volume 16, Issue 3, Pages 869-876Publisher
WILEY
DOI: 10.1111/ajt.13591
Keywords
clinical research; practice; kidney transplantation; nephrology; social sciences; donors and donation: donor follow-up; donors and donation: living; economics
Categories
Funding
- National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases [R01DK085185]
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Some living kidney donors (LKDs) incur costs associated with donation, although these costs are not well characterized in the United States. We collected cost data in the 12 mo following donation from 182 LKDs participating in the multicenter prospective Kidney Donor Outcomes Cohort (KDOC) Study. Most LKDs (n=167, 92%) had one direct cost or more following donation, including ground transportation (86%), health care (41%), meals (53%), medications (36%), lodging (23%), and air transportation (12%). LKDs missed 33072 total work hours, 40% of which were unpaid and led to $302175 in lost wages (mean $1660). Caregivers lost $68655 in wages (mean $377). Although some donors received financial assistance, 89% had a net financial loss in the 12-mo period, with one-third (33%) reporting a loss exceeding $2500. Financial burden was higher for those with greater travel distance to the transplant center (Spearman's =0.26, p<0.001), lower household income (Spearman's =-0.25, p<0.001), and more unpaid work hours missed (Spearman's =0.52, p<0.001). Achieving financial neutrality for LKDs must be an immediate priority for the transplant community, governmental agencies, insurance companies, nonprofit organizations, and society at large.
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