NONCOMPLIANCE IN END-STAGE RENAL-DISEASE - A THREAT TO QUALITY OF CARE AND COST-CONTAINMENT

Noncompliance to treatment regimen after kidney transplantation is a t hreat to health outcomes and cost containment. Although there are meth odological challenges to obtaining reliable compliance data, the resul ts of noncompliance are increased morbidity and mortality in posttrans plant patients. In addition, recent research suggests that patients wh o incur repeated rejection episodes leading to graft failure have high er levels of medical utilization. Some psychosocial factors related to compliance and medical utilization are potentially modifiable through cognitive-behavioral intervention.