Ms. Ysotha G, a student from the Department of Pharmacy, Faculty of Allied Health Sciences, University of Jaffna, presented her research at the International Research Conference in Health Sciences, 2025, SJP, where she was awarded Best Abstract for her study titled “Adherence to Tacrolimus and Its Influencing Factors in Renal Disease Patients: A Cross-Sectional Study.”
Tacrolimus is an immunosuppressive medication with a narrow therapeutic window, commonly prescribed for kidney transplant recipients and patients with glomerulonephritis. The study aimed to study the adherence to tacrolimus and investigate factors influencing adherence among renal disease patients.
The research was conducted as a single-centered, cross-sectional study at the Nephrology and Transplant Unit of the Teaching Hospital, Jaffna, using an interviewer-administered questionnaire. Among the 180 participants, 51.1% had glomerulonephritis, and 48.9% were kidney transplant recipients. The study found a non-adherence rate of 51.7%, indicating that more than half of the patients were non-adherent to tacrolimus therapy. The findings suggest that improving the availability of tacrolimus in hospitals could enhance adherence rates.