Anonymous living kidney donation and public solicitation: Donor and recipient perspectives

The number of living donor kidney transplantations has increased rapidly over the past decades due to the the development of Kidney Exchange Programs, the acceptance of unspecified kidney donation (anonymous donation of a living donor to a stranger) and the increase of public solicitation (whereby kidney patients search for a living kidney donor by the use of (social) media). The pros and cons of the specificities of these donation procedures have been well described, but empirical investigations of the patient and donor perspectives on the matter are lacking in the current literature. Therefore, this thesis aimed to assess: (1) the patient and donor perspective on anonymity in unspecified kidney donation and kidney exchange programs, (2) the considerations and experiences of kidney patients who engaged in public solicitation, and (3) the motivations, experiences and mental health of unspecified kidney donors.