Medication Adherence Status and Influencing Factors in Adolescent Kidney Transplant Recipients.

BACKGROUND

This study investigated medication adherence and related factors in adolescent kidney transplant recipients receiving immunosuppressive drugs.

METHODS

Between February and October 2023, 115 adolescent kidney transplant recipients were selected through convenience sampling from follow-up centers in four Chinese tertiary hospitals. The study assessed medication adherence and influencing factors via a general information questionnaire, an adherence assessment scale, a medication belief scale, and an overall happiness scale.

RESULTS

The average medication adherence score was 4.98 ± 2.32 points, with 60.08% (76/115) showing poor adherence. Five of these patients experienced graft failure, resulting in a 6.5% failure rate. No cases of graft failure occurred in those with excellent compliance. Univariate analysis revealed no significant differences in adherence based on sex, age, income, or education (p > 0.05). However, statistically significant differences in medication adherence were observed based on rejection reactions and infections (p < 0.01). Pearson's correlation analysis revealed that higher perceived medication necessity and overall happiness scores were correlated with better adherence (p < 0.05). Linear regression revealed that post-transplant rejection, infections, perceived medication necessity, and overall happiness significantly impacted adherence (p < 0.05).

CONCLUSION

The high prevalence of poor medication adherence among adolescent kidney transplant recipients highlights the importance for healthcare professionals to focus on monitoring significant post-transplant complications, improving recipients' understanding of the necessity of their medications, and evaluating their overall psychological well-being. Introducing an effective early warning system during home follow-up periods can enable timely interventions to improve medication adherence.