An Exploratory Study to Identify Factors Associated with Noncompliance of Medications and Recommended Lifestyle Behavior after Renal Transplantation - A Pilot Study

Introduction: Noncompliance to prescribed therapy has been found to be common in chronic diseases. Therapeutic compliance not only includes patient compliance with medications but also with diet, exercise or lifestyle changes. Therapeutic noncompliance after renal transplantation is a major risk factor for acute rejection and graft loss. It is estimated that 1 in 10 deaths in transplant patients is due to medication noncompliance1-2

Material and Method: This exploratory longitudinal study was performed in tertiary care teaching and non-teaching hospitals in Kolkata. From 30 renal transplant patients data were collected through interview, records&existing laboratory report. To get self-report structured questionnaire for interview were prepared. For data collection clients were picked up from the period of pre-transplant work up and they were followed up for 1 month.

Results: The extent of noncompliance after renal transplantation is 16.67 (95%CI 3.33-30%). The reason for noncompliance is mainly forgetfulness and poor knowledge. This study also reveals that noncompliance is significantly associated with dialysis duration and waiting time for transplant.