Healthcare-related sociocultural factors, racial disparities, and kidney transplant outcomes in the Kidney Transplant Fast Track program

Background In the United States, streamlining the kidney transplantation (KT) evaluation process may reduce disparities and barriers to KT access. Prior work showed that the Kidney Transplant Fast Track (KTFT) program shortened this process and reduced racial disparities in waitlisting and overall KT. However, within a setting where evaluation-related structural barriers have been addressed, a comprehensive longitudinal evaluation incorporating sociocultural factors (e.g., medical mistrust, healthcare-related discrimination/racism) alongside race/ethnicity as prespecified predictors across multiple KT milestones, including KT type (living [LDKT] and deceased donor KT [DDKT]), has not been performed. MethodsIn this secondary analysis, data came from the KTFT study, a prospective KT candidate cohort. Participants were recruited before KT evaluation start (05/2015-06/2018), coinciding with baseline measure collection, then followed via medical record through 08/2022. We used hierarchically-adjusted Fine-Gray proportional hazards models in this exploratory analysis. ResultsAmong 1108 KT candidates (243 Black, 783 White, 82 Other), medical mistrust was associated with lower cumulative incidence of waitlisting, but no other sociocultural factors were associated with outcomes. Racial and ethnic differences emerged for KT type: Black participants had a greater cumulative incidence of DDKT, and participants categorized as Other race/ethnicity had a lower cumulative incidence of LDKT, relative to White participants. Conclusions Although KTFT reduced racial/ethnic disparities in waitlisting and overall KT receipt, we identified racial/ethnic differences in LDKT and DDKT. Medical mistrust was a significant barrier to waitlisting. Findings suggest that even when the KT evaluation process is streamlined, sociocultural factors and race/ethnicity may influence KT outcomes.