Living kidney donors and their family caregivers: developing an evidence-based educational and social support website.

CONTEXT: Although graft and patient survival rates for living kidney donation are improved, some healthcare providers question whether volunteer donors and their informal caregivers are fully informed of the donation process and the risks involved. Donors and their family caregivers have reported that they receive limited information about the predonation and donor recovery process. Offering web-based information and social support is one way to address this gap. STRATEGY: Living kidney donor candidates and their family caregivers participating in the Living Donor Information Network for Caregiving (LINC) have access to a variety of online informational resources and a social support discussion forum throughout their living kidney donation experience. Strategies in the development and implementation of an online information and social-support resource are presented. CONCLUSIONS: Use of the LINC website for information and support may assist health care providers in identifying potential barriers in the current donation process and provide direction for enhancing knowledge and confidence among donors and family caregivers.

Honoring Diversity: Developing Culturally Competent Communication Skills Through Simulation.

BACKGROUND: Students in nursing programs must learn how to communicate with patients in a culturally competent manner. METHOD: This article explores current best practices in nursing education regarding the inclusion of diversity and cultural humility in the program of study and provides recommendations for innovative ways of thoughtfully threading cultural competence into the curriculum. RESULTS: Mastering culturally competent communication is unlike any other nursing skill, deserving of a creative way of teaching. This article describes the use of the pedagogy in simulation to create the opportunity to introduce scenarios where students care for patients of diverse backgrounds. CONCLUSION: Establishing cultural competence encompasses more than just learning about different cultures. A true emergent experience using standardized patients and scenarios highlighting the cultural considerations that nurses need to be cognizant of and comfortable with can provide a new way of teaching this relevant and current topic.