Università degli studi di Modena e Reggio Emilia

Università degli Studi di Modena e Reggio Emilia
Corso di laurea in infermieristica - Sede di Modena

Abstract

Kidney transplant is an elective operative procedure addressed to patients in uremic stage renal disease in order both to increase life expectation and to get quality of life better. It can not be considered curative in itself since the risk of rejection and comorbidities are always present; that’s why it is mandatory to follow an appropriate medical therapy while there is the graft. Patient’s adherence and compliance to therapy is directly related to transplant success; unfortunately it can fall up to 30-50% meaning that about one patient out of two is not compliant to therapy. Nurses may support the self-care and responsibility to avoid non adherence to treatment. It is possible to get a better compliance through continuous, holistic and tailored health education interventions. Health literacy, transitional assistance, multimedia education, SystemCHANGE approach and Teach-Back training may be effective to improve those interventions. Psychological improvement does not reflect a clinical improvement; psychological support can not be accounted only as means to get consolation but as a real therapeutic action. It is necessary to match the personal clinical approach with a focus on patient-nurse relationship and on all the relevant features for a kidney transplant patient. Main endpoints of this research paper are a developing knowledge of kidney transplant as whole procedure, full and deep understanding of patient’s experiences which can lead the healthcare personnels to understand and rightly support patients requirements and to effectively prevent complications keeping a good health condition. There are so many and tricky nursing implications in taking charge a kidney transplant patient. It is demanded an updated and qualified expertise to improve patient confidence, therapeutic adhesion and finally the success of kidney transplant.