Measurement of adherence to immunosuppressive drugs in renal transplant recipients

Objective: To measure adherence of renal transplant recipients to immunosuppressive dugs by using the Basel Assessment of Adherence with immunosuppressive medication Scale (BAASIS (R)) and to describe sociodemographic characteristics and clinical factors in relation to immunosuppressive drugs and creatinine levels. Methods: This retrospective, cross-sectional study was carried out from 2014 to 2015 in the post-transplantation ambulatory unit of the Kidney Hospital and Universidade Federal de Sao Paulo (UNIFESP). Results: Of the 181 participants, 53.6% were men; recipients ages ranged from 18 to 74 years. Systemic arterial hypertension was the initial diagnosis of chronic renal failure in 38.7% of recipients. About 95% reported that they never forgot to take several consecutive doses of the medicine. 58.6% of recipients reported total adherence to the immunosuppressive drugs, and 41.4% did not adhere to one or more of the four assessed situations. No significant correlation was found between of creatinine levels and total score and by BAASIS (R) items. Conclusion: A high rate of patients not adherent to the immunosuppressive treatment was identified (41.4%). There was no significant correlation between creatinine level and receptor age at time of KTP, time after KTP, immunosuppressive separation time and total score and scores of individual BAASIS (R) items. This study showed that black, male recipients without a family support network, obese and autonomous are more likely not to adhere to immunosuppressive therapy. The evaluation of renal transplant recipient adhesion should be considered during all phases of the nursing process actions that make up the therapeutic plan after renal transplantation.