This study examined patterns, potential predictors, and outcomes of immunosuppressive medication adherence in a convenience sample of 121 kidney transplant recipients aged 21 yr or older from three kidney transplant centers using a theory-based, descriptive, correlational, longitudinal design. Electronic monitoring was conducted for 12 months using electronic monitoring. Participants were persistent in taking their immunosuppressive medications, but execution, which includes both taking and timing, was poor.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThis project examined patterns, predictors, and outcomes of medication adherence in a convenience sample of 37 renal transplant recipients aged 55 years or older in a Mid-Southern U.S. facility using an exploratory, descriptive, longitudinal design.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThis study evaluated older renal transplant recipients' perceptions of electronic medication monitoring and the influence of these perceptions on medication adherence. A sample of 73 older adult renal transplant recipients who used the Medication Event Monitoring System (MEMS(®)) TrackCaps for 12 months provided their perceptions of device use. Participants perceived that the MEMS had a neutral effect on their medication-taking routine (65%), believed the MEMS was practical (56%), and could not describe any instances in which using the MEMS was difficult (56%).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFContext: The contribution of social support networks to the recovery of transplant recipients is an important assessment in measuring improved physical and psychosocial well-being. Social support networks are described by structure, type, and function.
Objectives: (1) To describe the levels of structure (size, formal and informal support), type (concrete, emotional, and informational), and function (criticalness, direction, closeness, frequency, and duration) of the social support network and (2) to examine the relationships between individual characteristics of sex, race, and social class and social support networks.
Soc Work Health Care
November 2007
With advances in medicine and pharmacology, post-transplant quality of life (QoL) has become a major concern of researchers. In social work transplant practice, provision of social support towards QoL warrants attention. The purposes of this study were (1) to describe the social support networks of kidney, liver, and pancreas transplant recipients during the post-transplant phase of their recovery, and (2) to examine the correlations between the types and nature of social support networks and the QoL of these transplant recipients.
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