Journeys to Wellness: A Kidney Transplant Candidate Study

Principal Investigator: Cynthia Gross, Professor, College of Pharmacy, University of Minnesota 

Funding Source and Amount: NIH NIDDK DK1308, Program Project Grant, Arthur Matas, Director; $863, 237 (total costs)

Grant Period: 8/27/09-3/31/13

Abstract: For persons waiting for a kidney transplant, the uncertainty of living with a worsening chronic illness, and the demands of kidney dialysis, creates stresses that diminish quality of life. Journeys is a clinical trial to determine if waiting-list patients can benefit from Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR). Patients with kidney failure will be randomized to either an 8-week MBSR program or to a control support group. MBSR will be delivered in an innovative telephone-adapted format called tMBSR (t for telephone) which is designed for patients who are geographically dispersed or have mobility problems. The support group will have two in-person gatherings and six weekly telephone conferences. Anxiety, depression, sleep and quality of life outcomes will be assessed pre- and post-intervention and at six months follow-up. Physiologic markers of stress (salivary cortisols) and sleep monitors (actigraphy) will also be evaluated. A secondary aim is to determine if patients who have received this training will report greater treatment satisfaction and less distress from pain following hospitalization for transplant surgery.

More information about this study is available by contacting the enrollment coordinator, Becky Johnson, at 612-624-6115 or by e-mail at Journeys@umn.edu.