Abstract:
Chronic kidney disease (CKD) has grown over the past four decades as a significant threat to public health. This is due in part to its increasing prevalence with the rise of elderly and obese populations but also because of its eventual progression to end stage renal disease (ESRD), a condition that is covered by Medicare regardless of age or otherwise disability status. Treatment for ESRD, dialysis or transplantation and their respective medications, has proven to be a significant governmental expense. In this light, many have postulated ideas to improve self-management and delay the onset of ESRD. An extensive review of the literature revealed that educational interventions tailored for CKD patients have the potential to yield improved health and quality of life outcomes, delay progression to ESRD and decrease healthcare costs.
This thesis documents a study conducted with CKD Medicare beneficiaries who have received an educational intervention from the Care Management Organization of Montefiore Medical Center, an accountable care organization in Yonkers, NY. It sets out to test the effect of patient education on empowerment and improved health outcomes, especially for those who identify as minorities; a population that is notoriously underserved and is projected to have worse health outcomes than their White counterparts. The study’s conclusions supported the literature review findings that health literacy can yield positive health outcomes and also identified areas for improvement within the educational programming.
