NONADHERENCE WITH MEDICATIONS IN ORGAN TRANSPLANT PATIENTS - A LITERATURE-REVIEW

The problems of non-adherence with treatment in health care in general , and with medication adherence in particular, is an area with a volum inous and burgeoning literature, However, there appears to be no revie w of the literature on non-adherence with medications in organ transpl ant patients, This comprehensive review therefore considers literature on adherence in adult kidney, heart and liver transplantation. The pa rticular problem of adherence in paediatric transplant patients is als o addressed, This transplant research literature is then evaluated wit hin the broader context of social science research on medication adher ence, From the review it is apparent that there is an urgent need for research which examines the patient's beliefs about their illness and medicines. Such research is a precursor for rigorous nursing intervent ion studies which aim to promote adherence by being tailored to the pa tient's perceptions.