Profile and Social Assessment of Liver Transplant Candidates: A Retrospective Approach

Abstract

Introduction: The complexity of liver transplantation requires a highly qualified team, in which the social worker plays a crucial role in analyzing and intervening in the social situation of candidates. Objectives: To investigate the social profile of liver transplant candidates and relate it to the interventions and reflections made during the social assessment at the Hospital de Base Liver Transplant Unit. Methods:Based on the records of the Social Work, the information of the candidates evaluated between January 2019 and December 2020 was analyzed. This quantitative-qualitative, retrospective, descriptive and documentary study, with participant observation, was conducted from a dialectical perspective. Results: During the data collection period, 174 evaluations were obtained. Social profile: Average age 55.8 years, predominantly male (N=116; 66.7%), with a partner (N=129; 74.1%), living in municipalities in the state of São Paulo (N=124; 71.3%), incomplete primary education (N=68; 39.1%), low level of education (N=65; 37.4%), inactive in the job market (N=151; 86.8%), accessing social security benefits (N=120; 69%), positive acceptance of the transplant (N=158; 90.8%), nuclear family (N=120; 69%), offer of care and family adherence (N=172; 98.9%), partial access to medication (N=122; 70.1%), ease of access to the transplant center (N=157; 90.2%), per person family income of 1\2 to 2 minimum wages (N=107; 61.5%) and satisfactory/conserved housing standard and state of repair (N=157; 90.3%). Conclusion: The social profile of greater social vulnerability required more interventions in most of the 25 variables assessed, providing important elements for identifying and meeting the social needs of each individual.