Investigation of self-management levels and associ̇ated factors in pati̇ents with kidney transplantation

The aim of this study was to investigate the self-management levels and related factors in renal transplantation patients. Between May 2023 and July 2023, 108 patients who came to Istanbul Kartal Dr. Lütfi Kırdar City Hospital Nephrology outpatient clinic for follow-up were included. The data of the study were collected with the "Patient Identification Form" and "Self-Management Scale in Kidney Transplant Recipients" (SMSKTR). Data were analyzed using SPSS (Statistical Package Program for Social Science) 27.0 program. Independent sample t-test analysis was applied for variables with 2 groups to see the differences in group averages of variables. When there were not enough observations for parametric tests, non-parametric Mann Whitney-U test analysis was applied for variables with 2 groups and non-parametric Kruskal Wallis-H analysis was applied for variables with 3 or more groups. Pearson correlation and non-parametric Spearman correlation analyses were applied to determine the direction and strength of the relationship between the scale and the descriptive characteristics. The mean total score of the patients was 32.27±6.79. Among the sub-dimensions of the scale, the Factor of Recognizing and Coping with Abnormal Situations in the Early Period was the highest (14.03±3.92) and the Self-Monitoring Factor was the lowest (5.62±2.19). There was no statistically significant difference between gender, educational status, employment status, alcohol consumption and the mean total score and mean scores of all sub-dimensions of the SMSKTR. It was determined that there 10 was a statistically significant difference between marital status and cohabitation status and the mean total score of the SMSKTR and the mean sub-dimension score of the Factor of Recognizing and Coping with Abnormal Situations in the Early Period (p<0.05). It was determined that 87.0% (n=94) of the patients received training in the post-transplantation process; 35.1% (n=33) received training from physicians and nurses. It was determined that there was a negative and weakly significant relationship between the factors of SMSKTR, early recognition of abnormal conditions and coping with them, self-care behaviors in daily life and coping with stress and age, age at kidney transplantation and time since kidney transplantation. Patients had high mean total score of SMSKTR, and at this point, we think that the education given to patients in the post- transplantation process plays a role. Keywords: Kidney, Patient, Self-Management, Transplantation