Design of a digital educational tool for kidney transplant patients

Abstract

The educational process for kidney transplant (KT) patients focuses on familiarizing the patient with the surgical procedure, care before and after the transplant, taking medications, and the warning signs associated with organ rejection. Despite this, some patients do not achieve full adherence to the program, which increases the risk of graft rejection. With the support of the Fundación Valle del Lili (FVL) Donation and Transplant Unit, this article presents the results obtained from a search of scientific publications in databases, a contextual observation and a series of interviews with doctors and transplant patients. Results define requirement for the design and development of a pedagogical tool that supports education for kidney transplant patients in the preoperative and postoperative stages. It is concluded that there is enormous potential in the use of a mobile application to support patients to achieve adherence to treatment in a safe and autonomous way, since the tool can support informed decision-making and increase the chances of a successful recovery towards a better quality of life.