Patients’ Experiences of a Nurse-Led Self-Management Intervention After Kidney Transplantation

Abstract

Self-management after kidney transplantation is challenging. Therefore, current guidelines recommend education programs, but little is known about patients' experiences of such programs. With a qualitative design, we explored patients' experiences of either multiple behavioral interventions or a single educational intervention in the firstyear post-transplant. Patients were struggling to master changes before reassuming normal life post-transplant. They learned to have confidence in their new situation and resumed their social roles. In a therapeutic sense, they were open to information, wanted to recover normal weight, and engaged in physical activity and consistent medication intake. Those who had undergone the behavioral interventions tackled these challenges with more consistency and vigor. Individualized behavioral self-management interventions were well accepted and have the potential to guide patients towards better outcomes.