CONTEXT: Self-management is important in ensuring good clinical results in kidney transplant recipients. It was unclear whether the current education program at a single kidney transplant center sufficiently prepares recent transplant recipients for the many complex self-management tasks required. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the completeness of and the satisfaction with the current inpatient kidney transplant education program and to determine recipients' needs for information in the first months after discharge. METHODS: We used a concurrent mixed-methods design, including 31 kidney transplant recipients who were assessed via a semistructured interview (qualitative part) and a questionnaire specifically designed for this study, consisting of 30 Likert-type and open-ended questions (quantitative part). RESULTS: Kidney transplant patients reported having received extensive information about medication use after transplant surgery (antirejection medication, 93.5%). Information about healthy lifestyle (physical activity and rehabilitation, 54.8%), return to work (54.8%), and emotional coping (25.8%) was considered suboptimal, although most patients expressed a need for such information. Patients indicated a need for more concrete and practical information, not only during their hospital stay, but also in the long term after transplant. CONCLUSIONS: This is the first mixed-models approach showing that our education program immediately after transplant focuses on the transfer of factual knowledge, which seems to insufficiently train patients in developing self-management skills. Updates of our program are warranted to overcome the gaps in the information provided, to provide more practical tips, and to repeat education in the long-term after the transplant surgery, tailored to the patients' needs.
CONTEXT: Self-management is important in ensuring good clinical results in kidney transplant recipients. It was unclear whether the current education program at a single kidney transplant center sufficiently prepares recent transplant recipients for the many complex self-management tasks required. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the completeness of and the satisfaction with the current inpatient kidney transplant education program and to determine recipients' needs for information in the first months after discharge. METHODS: We used a concurrent mixed-methods design, including 31 kidney transplant recipients who were assessed via a semistructured interview (qualitative part) and a questionnaire specifically designed for this study, consisting of 30 Likert-type and open-ended questions (quantitative part). RESULTS: Kidney transplant patients reported having received extensive information about medication use after transplant surgery (antirejection medication, 93.5%). Information about healthy lifestyle (physical activity and rehabilitation, 54.8%), return to work (54.8%), and emotional coping (25.8%) was considered suboptimal, although most patients expressed a need for such information. Patients indicated a need for more concrete and practical information, not only during their hospital stay, but also in the long term after transplant. CONCLUSIONS: This is the first mixed-models approach showing that our education program immediately after transplant focuses on the transfer of factual knowledge, which seems to insufficiently train patients in developing self-management skills. Updates of our program are warranted to overcome the gaps in the information provided, to provide more practical tips, and to repeat education in the long-term after the transplant surgery, tailored to the patients' needs.
Authors: Javier Roberti; Amanda Cummings; Michelle Myall; Jonathan Harvey; Kate Lippiett; Katherine Hunt; Federico Cicora; Juan Pedro Alonso; Carl R May Journal: BMJ Open Date: 2018-09-04 Impact factor: 2.692