Designing a patient-centered interdisciplinary intervention to promote equitable access to kidney transplantation across health systems: The steps study

In the United States, health inequities persist in the management of chronic kidney disease and end-stage kidney disease, including unequal access to kidney transplantation. These disparities are deeply rooted in complex social and structural determinants of health, including socioeconomic status, race, geographic location, and healthcare access. Addressing these inequities necessitates a patient-centered interdisciplinary approach to improve outcomes and promote transplant access equity. This article describes the conceptualization and design of the System Interventions to Achieve Early and Equitable Transplants (STEPS) intervention. The STEPS intervention was developed by patients, family members, professional and community stakeholders, social workers, nurses, physicians, and other health professionals to address multifactorial barriers to kidney transplantation in three large health systems in Mississippi, North Carolina, and Pennsylvania. By addressing transplant barriers through collaborative interdisciplinary interventions provided by social workers and transplant nurses, STEPS aims to empower individuals and promote systemic changes in healthcare delivery and access to kidney transplants. This intervention can be used as a model for other interdisciplinary approaches to address social and structural determinants of health to improve access to care and promote health equity.