Description

Together with the Department of Internal Medicine, the Department of Psychiatry is a leading institute in the facilitation of living kidney donation.

An obvious product is the development of a highly (cost)effective family therapy, with an innovative quality control system: Kidney Team at Home (Nierteam aan Huis). This product is the first medical psychological intervention which is independently reimbursed as a medical intervention, instead of being included as supportive intervention to a pure medication intervention, such as transplantation or dialysis.

To achieve this, we have established a research line regarding the quality of life of donors and patients, ethics, proper information for the donors and patients, barriers to the implementation of effective communication and treatment and the cost-effectiveness of the psychological interventions. This achievement not only emancipates Medical Psychology as discipline, but also serves both patients and society in reducing the high burden of kidney failure.