Transplant Center Criteria and Inequalities Within Transplant Wait Listing Process

More than 650,000 people per year in the United States are affected by End Stage Renal Disease (ESRD) (US Renal Data System, 2013). This diagnosis affects many areas of the patient\u27s life and patients have limited options for treatment. Kidney transplantation for patients with ESRD continues to be noted as the most optimal treatment (Rubin & Weir, 2015; Maggiore, et al., 2014; Patzer, Platinga, Krisher, & Pastan, 2014). However, despite this information, utilization of transplantation remains inconsistent and variable in the population. There are many areas of disparities regarding the kidney transplant waitlist including wait times, gaining access to the wait list, and being changed to inactive status. This paper will discuss the reasons identified in the literature for these inequalities and will also explore the impact that the demographics of the patient play a role in their ability attempt to better to be waitlisted. Transplant recipients will be surveyed and also interviewed to gather more information on the transplant wait list process and possible reasons for the inequalities