BACKGROUND: Effective interventions during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic require an understanding of patients' knowledge and perceptions that influence their behaviour. Our study assessed knowledge of COVID-19 among kidney transplant recipients and donors, hitherto unevaluated. METHODS: We conducted a cross-sectional survey among 325 kidney transplant recipients and 172 donors between 1 May 2020 and 30 June 2020. The survey questionnaire assessed knowledge levels of COVID-19, sociodemographic data, health status, psychosocial impact of COVID-19 and precautionary behaviours during the pandemic. RESULTS: The mean COVID-19 knowledge score of the study population was 7.5 (standard deviation: 2.2) out of 10. The mean score was significantly higher among kidney recipients compared to kidney donors (7.9 [1.9] vs. 6.7 [2.6]; P <0.001). Younger age (21-49 vs. ≥50 years) and higher education (diploma and higher vs. secondary and lower) were associated with significantly higher knowledge scores in donors, but not among recipients ( P -interactions ≤0.01). In both kidney recipients and donors, financial concerns and/or social isolation were associated with lower knowledge levels. CONCLUSIONS Concerted efforts are needed to improve COVID-19 knowledge in kidney transplant recipients and donors, particularly older donors, donors with lower education and patients with financial concerns or feelings of social isolation. Intensive patient education may mitigate the impact of education levels on COVID-19 knowledge levels.
Humans ; COVID-19/epidemiology* ; Kidney Transplantation ; Middle Aged ; Singapore/epidemiology* ; Male ; Female ; Adult ; Cross-Sectional Studies ; Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice ; Transplant Recipients/psychology* ; Surveys and Questionnaires ; Tissue Donors/psychology* ; SARS-CoV-2 ; Young Adult ; Aged ; Pandemics

INTRODUCTIONWaiting times for kidney transplant are long in Singapore. Healthrelated quality of life (HRQoL) of patients might be affected as a result of the stress of the long wait and the uncertainty of being called to undergo a surgical operation. This study aimed to measure the HRQoL of patients on the kidney transplant waiting list and to identify factors which could impact on the HRQoL scores in this group of patients.

MATERIALS AND METHODSThis was a cross-sectional study of kidney transplant waiting list patients managed at a tertiary renal unit using the SF-36. A SF-36 normative calculator was used to generate HRQoL scores for the Singapore general population matched with the study cohort's age, gender and ethnicity.

RESULTSThere were 265 respondents with a response rate was 81%. Our study shows that HRQoL scores for the kidney transplant waiting list patients were lower than the population norms across all subscales and were clinically significant for General Health, Role Physical, Bodily Pain, Social Functioning and Mental Component Summary scores. Factors such as being Chinese, married, employed and undergoing haemodialysis predicted better HRQoL scores after adjusting for possible confounders. Age, gender, educational level, household income, history of kidney transplant, duration on the transplant waiting list and years on dialysis did not significantly influence SF-36 across all subscales scores.

CONCLUSIONKidney transplant waiting list patients had worse HRQoL compared to the general population. Factors such as ethnicity, marital status, employment status, and type of dialysis treatment significantly influenced patients' perception of their HRQoL.

Cross-Sectional Studies ; Female ; Health Status ; Humans ; Kidney Transplantation ; Male ; Quality of Life ; Surveys and Questionnaires ; Waiting Lists