Longitudinal stability of medication adherence among adolescent solid organ transplant recipients |
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| Authors: | Kristin A. Loiselle Ana M. Gutierrez‐Colina Cyd K. Eaton Laura E. Simons Katie A. Devine Laura L. Mee Ronald L. Blount |
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| Affiliation: | 1. Division of Behavioral Medicine and Clinical Psychology, Center for Adherence and Self‐Management, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH, USA;2. Department of Psychology, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, USA;3. Department of Anesthesia, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA;4. Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA;5. Division of Population Sciences, Department of Medicine, Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey, New Brunswick, NJ, USA;6. Transplant Services, Children's Healthcare of Atlanta, Atlanta, GA, USA;7. Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, USA |
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| Abstract: | Solid organ transplantation requires ongoing adherence to immunosuppressants and other medications. Although adolescence is a risk factor for poor medication‐taking, little is known about the patterns of adherence within individuals over time. This study aimed to examine the stability of adherence over time using three different assessment techniques. Sixty‐six AYA transplant recipients and/or their caregiver completed interviews of adherence at baseline and at least one yr later. Serum immunosuppressant assay levels were collected via medical chart review. Non‐adherence percentages based on AYA report, caregiver report, and bioassay did not differ from Time 1 to Time 2. However, correlations for these measures across time were non‐significant. Further, the majority of AYAs shifted to a different adherence category from Time 1 to Time 2. Overall, these results demonstrate individual variability in non‐adherence over the course of adolescence and young adulthood and highlight the importance of frequent assessment across time for solid organ transplant recipients. |
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| Keywords: | solid organ transplantation adolescents adherence |
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