Psychosocial and medical determinants of long-term patient outcomes: A specific focus on patients after kidney transplantation and with haemophilia

From the time of diagnosis, patients with a chronic condition have to deal with the many consequences of their illness and have to adapt to a new lifestyle and to changes in their health-related quality of life (HRQoL). This is particularly difficult in patients for whom the most effective treatment is associated with significant side effects, such as immunosuppressive treatment in patients after kidney transplantation (KT), or for whom treatment is not always available, such as prophylactic treatment in patients with haemophilia. The aim of this thesis was to explore the associations between HRQoL, medication-related factors and patient outcomes in these two chronic disease groups – patients after KT and patients with bleeding disorders. Additionally, we explored specific issues in each group: psychosocial factors determining HRQoL, adherence to immunosuppressive treatment and social participation in patients after KT, and access to treatment and medical services in patients with haemophilia throughout Europe.