Telemedicine's Role in Kidney Transplantation

For kidney transplant evaluation and follow-up care for both the recipient and donor, access to transplant facilities is a major hurdle. Geographical, financial, and logistical obstacles may prevent potential kidney transplant recipients and living kidney donors from contacting a transplant facility and sustaining continuity of care after the procedure. The access barrier to transplant facilities may be removed through telemedicine using synchronous video visits. Telemedicine can be used by transplant clinics to begin the evaluation process for possible donors and recipients, especially for those who find it difficult to visit in person or when clinic capacity is limited, as might be the case during a pandemic. Similar to this, transplant centers can use telemedicine to continue post-transplant follow-up care without having to incur the expense and difficulty of travel. However, the development of kidney transplant services based on telemedicine is mostly reliant on telemedicine infrastructure, insurance policy, and state laws.