Long Term Medication Adherence in Post-Kidney Transplantation Patients: A Unicenter Controlled Prospective Study.

Abstract

Adherence to drug therapy is a vital behavior to treat chronic illnesses and further to get a better life. Kidney transplanted
patients are, therefore, at increasing awareness in terms of adherence and thus satisfaction towards their medication
regimen.
Evaluation of factors affecting adherence to the immunosuppressant drugs among a sample of post-renal transplantation
Libyan patients in long term follow up.
A questionnaire based study was the sole method used to enroll 52 post kidney transplantation patients at Tripoli
Transplant Department, Central Hospital for a period of ten months. A direct patient interview was performed to
answer questions by the aid of researchers conducted the study.
Psychological conditions have shown significant impact on adherence to medication regimens among patients, i.e.
63.5% vs. 36.5, P<0.05. Interestingly, this was in contradiction with the overall patients estimation who didn’t refuse
to taking their medication while were in bad mood, i.e. 88.5%, n=46, vs. 11.5%, n=6, P<0.05. Young and middle aged
patients were more strict to medications as instructed compared to adolescent and elderly, i.e. 39.6% and 22.9%, vs.
16.1% and 14.2%, respectively, P<0.05. Moreover, educational level have shown that school level had answered
their instruction correctly and showed a significant difference compared with high educational level and non educated
patients, i.e. 60%, n=21 vs. 40%, 0% respectively, P<0.05.
It is concluded that, the term adherence is a complex issue with cultural, educational and environmental factors are
playing a major role.