We are a team of researchers from University of Aberdeen seeking to address inequalities in kidney healthcare in Scotland, where significant discrepancies have been identified in how kidney disease is diagnosed, accessed, and treated, particularly among socioeconomically disadvantaged groups.
The University’s Aberdeen Centre for Health Data Science and Health Services Research Unit is working with the University of Manchester to bring together experts from primary care, nephrology, public health, healthcare improvement, patient safety, and research methodology to reduce this disparity.
In KINDER – Kidney Inequalities: Needs, Data, Experiences, Response project, we will talk to people of working age in Scotland who have kidney disease to hear about what it is like for them to live with it and access care. We will also have group discussions with primary care staff to learn about how they diagnose the disease, help patients get the care they need, and any changes they have had to make in their approach. Then, in workshops with patients and professional experts, we will agree on priority strategies and actions that address the problems that we identify.
Aim
This study seeks to address kidney healthcare inequities in Scotland, by moving from the limited current understanding that inequities in care exist, to a better appreciation of how and why they exist, and how we can best mitigate the harms.
Participant Information
Patients with kidney disease or condition in the community
- Participant Information Sheet
- Please see video recording of Participant Information Sheet here
- GDPR Statement
Patients invited via primary care
- Participant Information Sheet
- Please see video recording of Participant Information Sheet here
- GDPR statement
Patients invited via specialist care
- Participant Information Sheet
- Please see video recording of Participant Information Sheet here
- GDPR statement
Patient and Public Involvement
This project was co-designed with patient and public research partners, who will continue to be involved throughout the duration of the project.
Community Engagement
We are happy to share Audrey Hughes, patient partner and co-investigator in KINDER study, helped organising a patient conference supported by the Scottish Kidney Federation in association with Kidney Care UK on 11th May 2024 in Aberdeen. Patients with kidney disease and family members from different areas of Scotland attended the conference. The topics discussed include living donation, mental health, prevention, and research in chronic kidney disease.
Dissemination
News about the project has been published on World Kidney Day which falls on 14th March in 2024 Aberdeen-led study aims to reduce inequalities in the diagnosis and treatment of kidney disease | News | The University of Aberdeen (abdn.ac.uk)
Funder
The project is funded by the Scottish Government’s Chief Scientist Office.
Research team members
Dr Magdalena Rzewuska Díaz, Dr Simon Sawhney, Dr Tom Blakeman, Audrey Hughes (patient partner, Grampian Kidney Patients Association), Dr Buse Keskindag, Eilidh Cowan, Fumiko Nakamaru (public partner) and Mike Melvin (public partner).
Project Logo
Image: kidneys [two perspectives]
Author: Valentyna Sokol
Permission: the author has granted permission for the use of this image
Contacts
- KINDER study email; kinder.study@abdn.ac.uk