Informing Kidney Patients of Treatment Options

Mary C. Politi, PhD, associate professor of surgery, received a three-year contract award from Merck pharmaceuticals to develop tailored, patient-centered education materials to facilitate treatment decisions in patients with Hepatitis C infection and advanced chronic kidney disease. Dr. Politi will work with co-investigators Tinging Li, MD, associate professor of medicine, and Kevin Korenblat, MD, professor of medicine, in addition to an external advisory board with other hepatologists, nephrologists and patients. Through this award, the team will create a tailored decision tool for patients with Hepatitis C virus and advanced kidney disease that includes patient education, resources, and a helpful physician discussion guide. This tool will then be tested with patients to test its efficacy, usability, and impact on key patient-centered outcomes. Lastly, the research team will conduct qualitative interviews with stakeholders to understand ways to disseminate the tool into routine clinical practice.