title: Relationship between pretransplant noncompliance and posttransplant outcomes in renal transplant recipients.
abstract: Approximately 5% to 18% of kidney transplant recipients do not comply with their posttransplant medical treatment. This study examined the relationship between pretransplant noncompliance and posttransplant outcomes. Using a longitudinal retrospective chart audit, pretransplant and posttransplant data were collected for 126 kidney transplant recipients over a 3-year period. Sixty-one percent of those identified as noncompliant before transplant lost their graft or died after transplant. Significant relationships between pretransplant noncompliance and graft loss and between pre- and posttransplant noncompliance were found. Clinicians must identify those with pretransplant noncompliance, as they are at risk for poor outcomes and might benefit from an intensive posttransplant follow-up regimen.
authors.affiliation: Frances Payne Bolton School of Nursing, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio 44106-4904, USA.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Douglas
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Blixen
authors.forename: M R
authors.initials: MR
authors.lastname: Bartucci
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D016030:Kidney Transplantation / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000523:psychology*; D008297:Male; D008485:Medical Audit; D008875:Middle Aged; D010349:Patient Compliance; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D016896:Treatment Outcome