OK-POP: Older Kidney Patient Optimisation Pre-transplant
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Optimising Access to and Outcomes from Transplantation in Older Potential Kidney Transplant Recipients: Pilot Feasibility Study on Kidney Transplant-specific Comprehensive Geriatric Assessment (KT-CGA)
IRAS ID
358879
Contact name
Antonia Cronin
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
King's College London
Clinicaltrials.gov Identifier
Duration of Study in the UK
1 years, 0 months, 0 days
Research summary
This pilot feasibility study will evaluate the implementation of a Kidney Transplant-specific Comprehensive Geriatric Assessment (KT-CGA) in patients aged 60 and over undergoing evaluation for kidney transplantation at a UK tertiary centre. Older patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) frequently experience frailty, multimorbidity, and cognitive impairment, all of which are associated with poorer transplant outcomes and reduced access to transplantation. Despite this, structured approaches to assessing and optimising these factors are rarely embedded in routine pre-transplant pathways.
This study aims to determine the feasibility of integrating KT-CGA into standard transplant assessment and to explore its acceptability, fidelity, and potential clinical and health-economic impact. Fifty patients will be recruited and randomised 1:1 to receive either standard of care or KT-CGA. The intervention includes a structured, multidisciplinary assessment and tailored optimisation delivered during a single outpatient visit, with input from nephrology and geriatric medicine.
Primary outcomes include feasibility metrics (e.g., proportion of eligible patients recruited, intervention reach- intended audience who came into contact with the intervention/ number of eligible patients who underwent KT-CGA, and fidelity to CGA components) and Days Alive and Out of Hospital at 180 days (DAOH-180). Secondary outcomes include transplant listing and transplantation rates, hospital length of stay at time of transplant, graft outcomes, and mortality over two years. Quality of life, frailty, and cognition will be assessed using validated tools. A preliminary health economic analysis will also be conducted.
The study has been designed in line with Medical Research Council guidance on developing and evaluating complex interventions and is supported by the London Kidney Network. Patients with cognitive impairment lacking capacity may be included via consultee involvement in accordance with the Mental Capacity Act. Findings will inform the design of a definitive trial and contribute to improved transplant assessment pathways for older patients, with dissemination planned across peer-reviewed, professional, and lay platforms.
REC name
South Central - Berkshire Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
26/SC/0075
Date of REC Opinion
16 Apr 2026
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion