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Published on: April 12, 2021
Low Adherence to Immunosuppressants Is Associated With Symptom Experience Among Kidney Transplant Recipients
1Department of Adult Clinical Nursing, The Graduate School of Nursing, Yonsei University, Seoul, Korea; Department of Transplantation Surgery, Severance Hospital, Yonsei University Health System, Seoul, Korea.
Purpose:
The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between immunosuppressant-related symptom experience (SE) and adherence to immunosuppressant regimens among kidney transplant (KT) recipients.
Methods:
A total of 239 KT recipients on an immunosuppressant regimen who were followed up after transplantation participated in this study. Data was collected through a self-reported questionnaire survey (medication adherence, SE, and quality of life) and medical record review.
Results:
Low adherence in the immunosuppressant group was associated with longer time since KT, less comorbidity (<3), and a higher rehospitalization rate. Low adherence among KT recipients showed significantly greater overall symptom occurrence (P = .001) and symptom distress (P = .002) levels than patients with high or medium adherence after adjusting for a number of covariates. The most common symptom both in terms of occurrence (96.4%) and distress (91.1%) among poorly adherent KT recipients was tiredness.
Conclusion:
Low adherence to an immunosuppressant regimen was significantly associated with high SE among KT recipients. Strategies to decrease immunosuppressant-related SE are needed to improve adherence to immunosuppressants.
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