Fear of COVID 19 and social effects in liver transplant patients.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: This study was descriptively conducted to evaluate the fear of COVID 19 and its social effects on patients who had liver transplant. METHODS: The study was conducted between September 2020 and April 2021 in a liver transplant institute affiliated with a university hospital. The sample of the study was 135 patients. Personal Information Form, Fear of Covid 19 Scale, and Questionnaire of Social Impact of COVID 19 Pandemic were used to collect data. RESULTS: It was determined that the Fear of Covid 19 Scale mean score of the patients was 21.25 ± 6.99. As the fear of COVID 19 increases in patients who had liver transplant, it was determined that their desire to be in crowded environments, to prefer public transportation, to go to the doctor for examination and their focusing on various objectives were decreasing. Also, fear of COVID 19 increased the difficulty in sleep, storage of food and cleaning materials, washing hands frequently, using masks and gloves when going out, health concerns, doubts about disease symptoms, orientation towards healthy eating, worries about the future and questioning the meaning of life. CONCLUSION: The results show that it is important for transplant centers to be able to provide guidance and psychological counseling services to liver transplant patients, who are significantly affected by COVID 19, through telemedicine or various technological opportunities.