{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,15]],"date-time":"2026-09-15T18:05:07Z","timestamp":1789495507999,"version":"build-2803163510"},"reference-count":22,"publisher":"Public Library of Science (PLoS)","issue":"9","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,15]],"date-time":"2026-09-15T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1789430400000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"http:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["www.plosone.org"],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["PLoS One"],"abstract":"<jats:sec id=\"sec001\">\n                    <jats:title>Background<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>The COVID-19 pandemic caused major disruptions in solid organ transplantation worldwide, particularly in kidney transplantation. Patients on deceased-donor kidney transplant waiting lists represent a vulnerable population due to ongoing dialysis requirements and concerns regarding immunosuppression and infection risk.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec id=\"sec002\">\n                    <jats:title>Objective<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>This study aimed to evaluate the attitudes, behaviors, and concerns of patients on the deceased-donor kidney transplant waiting list regarding kidney transplantation during the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec id=\"sec003\">\n                    <jats:title>Methods<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>A cross-sectional, telephone-based survey was conducted between October and December 2020 at one tertiary care centre in Turkiye. The survey assessed adherence to preventive measures, COVID-19 exposure history, perceptions of renal replacement therapy modalities, attitudes toward kidney transplantation, and transplantation-related concerns during the pandemic. Demographic and clinical data were collected, and responses were analyzed using appropriate statistical methods.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec id=\"sec004\">\n                    <jats:title>Results<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>A total of 188 transplant candidates (mean age 47.3\u2009\u00b1\u200913.1 years; 56.4% male) were included. Adherence to preventive measures was reported by 99.5% of participants, and 80.9% followed quarantine rules. Although 76% of participants preferred kidney transplantation before the pandemic, this rate decreased to 55.3% during the pandemic. Despite this decline, 86.7% of participants stated that they would accept a deceased-donor kidney transplant if offered during the pandemic. Only 38.3% reported concerns about undergoing transplantation, with the most common concerns being infection risk related to immunosuppressive therapy, hospital-acquired COVID-19, and donor-related transmission. Shorter renal replacement therapy duration and preemptive transplant status were associated with more favorable attitudes toward transplantation during the pandemic.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec id=\"sec005\">\n                    <jats:title>Conclusions<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>Despite pandemic-related uncertainties and concerns, most patients on the deceased-donor kidney transplant waiting list demonstrated a willingness to proceed with kidney transplantation and showed high adherence to preventive measures. These findings highlight the importance of patient education, infection-control strategies, and transparent communication to ensure the sustainability of kidney transplant programs during current and future pandemics.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.1371\/journal.pone.0358328","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,15]],"date-time":"2026-09-15T17:36:41Z","timestamp":1789493801000},"page":"e0358328","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1371\/journal.pone.corrections_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Attitudes, perceptions, behaviours, and concerns of patients listed for kidney transplantation during the COVID-19 pandemic"],"prefix":"10.1371","volume":"21","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-5691-1976","authenticated-orcid":true,"given":"Nimet","family":"Aktas","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"University of Health Sciences, Bursa Yuksek Ihtisas Education and Research Hospital","place":["Bursa, Turkiye"],"department":["Department of Nephrology"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Alparslan","family":"Ersoy","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Bursa Uludag University","place":["Bursa, Turkiye"],"department":["Department of Nephrology, Faculty of Medicine"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Aysegul","family":"Oruc","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Bursa Uludag University","place":["Bursa, Turkiye"],"department":["Department of Nephrology, Faculty of Medicine"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Hatice","family":"Ortac","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Bursa Uludag University","place":["Bursa, Turkiye"],"department":["Department of Biostatistics, Institute of Health Sciences"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"340","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,15]]},"reference":[{"issue":"7","key":"pone.0358328.ref001","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1312","DOI":"10.1097\/TP.0000000000004151","article-title":"The Global Impact of COVID-19 on Solid Organ Transplantation: Two Years Into a Pandemic","volume":"106","author":"A Nimmo","year":"2022","journal-title":"Transplantation"},{"issue":"4","key":"pone.0358328.ref002","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1423","DOI":"10.1111\/j.1523-1755.2002.kid563.x","article-title":"A comparison of transplant outcomes in peritoneal and hemodialysis patients","volume":"62","author":"JJ Snyder","year":"2002","journal-title":"Kidney Int"},{"key":"pone.0358328.ref003","unstructured":"Turkish Society of Nephrology. Registry of the Nephrology, Dialysis and Transplantation in Turkey. 2019. https:\/\/nefroloji.org.tr\/uploads\/folders\/file\/registry_2019.pdf"},{"key":"pone.0358328.ref004","unstructured":"Turkish Society of Nephrology. Registry of the Nephrology, Dialysis and Transplantation in Turkey. 2020. https:\/\/nefroloji.org.tr\/uploads\/folders\/file\/registry_2020.pdf"},{"key":"pone.0358328.ref005","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1568","DOI":"10.1016\/j.kint.2020.10.008","article-title":"French nationwide registry of solid organ transplant recipients with COVID-19. Impact of the COVID-19 epidemic on the mortality of kidney transplant recipients and candidates in a French nationwide registry study (IMPORTANT)","volume":"98","author":"O Thaunat","year":"2020","journal-title":"Kidney Int"},{"key":"pone.0358328.ref006","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1","DOI":"10.1146\/annurev-med-042420-104753","article-title":"COVID-19 and kidney","volume":"74","author":"M Brogan","year":"2023","journal-title":"Annu Rev Med"},{"key":"pone.0358328.ref007","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"667","DOI":"10.1007\/s40620-020-00755-8","article-title":"COVID-19 and kidney transplantation: an Italian survey and consensus","volume":"33","author":"F Vistoli","year":"2020","journal-title":"J Nephrol"},{"issue":"9","key":"pone.0358328.ref008","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"2463","DOI":"10.1016\/j.ekir.2021.06.002","article-title":"Deceased Donor Kidneys Utilization and Discard Rates During COVID-19 Pandemic in the United 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