Key result
Anxiety and perceived barriers correlate with treatment nonadherence affecting ~60% of post-cardiac transplant patients.
Why the study?
The study was conducted to examine how psychological and cognitive indicators associate with treatment nonadherence following heart transplantation.
Are psychological and cognitive factors associated with treatment nonadherence in post-cardiac transplant patients?
Cross-Sectional (n=74)
No
Are psychological and cognitive factors associated with treatment nonadherence in post-cardiac transplant patients?
Anxiety and perceived barriers are associated with immunosuppressant nonadherence in heart transplant recipients, highlighting the need for psychological screening.
Answers are grounded in this paper and cite their sources.
Anxiety linked to nonadherence post-transplant; hypothesis-generating for screening, needs prospective trials before practice change.
Study aims To examine the association of psychological and cognitive indicators with treatment nonadherence following heart transplantation. Methods A cross-sectional exploratory study was conducted in a single heart transplant center. The study included 74 heart transplant patients (42 men, 56.8%), with a mean age of 54.1 (SD±12.7), assessed at least 6 months after transplantation. The instruments used were GAD-7 (anxiety symptoms), PHQ-9 (depression symptoms), MoCA-B (cognitive screening), the Inventory of perceived barriers related to self-care after heart transplantation, and BAASIS (adherence to the immunosuppressant meds). Results Based on the past 4 weeks' recall, nonadherence behavior was observed in 59.5% ( n =44) of the participants. Difficulties of adherence to immunosuppressant therapy occurred during the adherence process in the initiation phase (8.1%, n = 6), implementation phase (52.7%, n = 39), and persistence phase (2.7%, n = 2) of the BAASIS model. Nineteen patients (25.7%) missed doses of immunosuppressant medication, and 44.6% (33 patients) altered their medication schedule in the past month. Anxiety symptoms (GAD-7) and patient-level perceived barriers were associated with nonadherence (BAASIS). Mild cognitive impairment was found in 10.8% ( n = 8) but did not associate with nonadherence. Among participants, 64.9% ( n =48) experienced complications after their transplant. Conclusion Anxiety, perceived barriers to treatment and self-care, may all contribute to nonadherence. These findings underscore the importance of screening for psychological and cognitive indicators in the post-cardiac transplant period. Healthcare professionals must proactively evaluate and support the psychological concerns of patients after heart transplantation, as they play a potential role in nonadherence behavior.
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Viana et al. (2026) conducted a cross-sectional in Post-cardiac transplant (n=74). Psychological and cognitive factors (anxiety, depression, cognitive impairment, perceived barriers) was evaluated on Treatment nonadherence. Anxiety symptoms and patient-level perceived barriers were associated with treatment nonadherence, which was observed in 59.5% of post-cardiac transplant patients.
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