Family Members, Transplantation Candidates, and Patients Who Underwent Liver Transplantation Had Insufficient Information About the Procedure.

INTRODUCTION: Adherence to treatment is essential for a successful liver transplantation (LT) because LT requires information, abilities, and competencies of patients and family members.

OBJECTIVES: This study sought to identify whether the information received about the LT process was enough for either patients or family members who attended a liver transplant center in a school hospital.

METHODS: This was a transversal study using questionnaires to verify received information on LT. It included 50 patients on the waiting list for LT, 50 transplanted patients, and 50 family members.

RESULTS: There was a prevalence of men (82%) among patients, age range from 19 to 67 years (average: 46.87 ± 10.99), and of women (74%) among family members, age range from 18 to 80 years (average: 43.5 ± 11.77). The majority of subjects (88%) had a low education level. The most frequent etiology of hepatic cirrhosis was viral hepatitis associated with alcohol. A significant number of the listed and transplanted patients as well as all family members reported insufficient information about the process of the transplantation. The kind of insufficient information varied according to the period of treatment. The best way to obtain information, as reported by patients and family members, was a combination of oral and written information.

CONCLUSIONS: Our data show the need for improvement in the means of delivering information to patients and family members, and an explanatory manual was created from this study.