Immunosuppressive Medication Adherence in Liver Transplant Recipients

Immunosuppressive medication is one of the pivotal factors in the outcome of liver transplant patients. Nonadherence to immunosuppressive therapy is a common problem after transplantation and affects graft and patient survival. This study aimed to assess immunosuppressive medication adherence in liver transplant recipients.

Liver transplant recipients who underwent the Siriraj-Support Medication Adherence in Organ Transplantation (S-SMAOT) program were included in this cross-sectional study. Immunosuppressive medication adherence was assessed with the use of the Immunosuppressive Therapy Adherence Scale (ITAS, which is scored from 0 to 12; very poor to excellence adherence). The correlations between ITAS scores and the clinical profiles of the patients, duration after transplantation, and transplant educational scores post-test were also analyzed.

From October 2012 to September 2014, a total of 50 liver transplant recipients (86 visits) were enrolled in this study. The ratio of male to female patients was 48:52. The proportions of patients with ITAS scores of 12, 10-11, and 0-9 were 82.6%, 16.3% and 1.2%, respectively. ITAS score was significantly correlated with the duration after transplantation (P < .001) and the educational scores (P = .009).

Consistent assessment of patients' immunosuppressive medication adherence is essential to avoid problems of noncompliance and to improve the outcome after liver transplantation. The S-SMAOT program was an effective approach to significantly improve the medication adherence in liver transplant recipients.