The Effect of Fear of Covid-19 on Immunosuppressive Treatment Compliance in Patients with Liver Transplantation

Abstract

Objective: In this study, we aimed to examine the effect of fear of Covid-19 on immunosuppressive treatment compliance in patients who underwent liver transplantation surgery. Method: This descriptive study was conducted at the liver transplant center of a university hospital with the participation of 169 patients. Data; It was collected face to face and online by researchers between February and March 2024. Data were collected using the Personal Information Form, Coronavirus (Covid-19) Fear Scale and Compliance with Immunosuppressive Medication Use scales. Data analysis was done with IBM SPSS (Statistical Package for the Social Sciences) Statistics 25 program. Results: 58.6% of the patients were male, 80.5% were married, 72% of the patients used tacrolimus as the immunosuppressive drug after the transplant, 63.3% did not catch Covid-19, 15.4% were diagnosed with Covid-19. It was determined that he lost a relative. Simple linear regression analysis was performed to determine the relationship between the scales used and no statistically significant relationship was found between the two scales (p>0.05). Conclusion: It is recommended to create support programs that will include the normalization processes of liver transplant patients who are afraid of Covid-19 in order to become more compatible with their daily lives.