People who have kidney transplants need longer-term support than most friends, relatives or even health care professionals realize, according to a study of 160 patients published in the Journal of Advanced Nursing. Researchers surveyed 55 patients who had undergone surgery in the last year, together with 105 who had surgery in the last one to three years at the Vanderbilt Transplant Center in Tennessee. They wanted to see if there was any difference in how they perceived factors such as their health, the side effects of medications to prevent rejection, social support and quality of life.
 
Researchers found patients reported higher levels of support in the first year after their surgery than they did after one to three years. Patients also felt more positive about what they could achieve and their ability to cope in the first year after surgery. The findings point to the need for more social support in the later transplant period.   

This article originally appeared in the January 2010 issue of Kidney Transplant Today.