Abstract
AIM: To explore the factors influencing unmet care needs among young and middle-aged kidney transplant recipients and to provide a scientific basis for developing targeted nursing interventions. DESIGN: A cross-sectional study. METHOD: 196 young and middle-aged kidney transplant patients in a tertiary hospital were selected using convenience sampling. Demographic and disease information questionnaires designed by the researcher, the Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support questionnaire, the Mishel uncertainty in illness scale, and the unmet care needs scale for organ transplant recipients were measured. SPSS 26.0 was used for statistical analysis. RESULT: Young and middle-aged kidney transplant recipients had a moderate level of unmet care needs during their stay at home. Education level (β = -0.258), return to work/study after discharge (β = 0.168), complications within 1 month after surgery (β = -0.173), social support (β = -0.129), and illness uncertainty (β = 0.358) were included in the final multivariate linear regression equation, which explained a total of 42.9% of the variance in unmet care needs (F = 21.903, p < 0.001; R(2) = 0.429). Clinical nurses should provide medical support and actively explore the underlying causes of disease-related uncertainty, thereby helping patients develop a positive perception of their condition and promoting long-term graft function and overall health. PATIENT CONTRIBUTION: The researchers assured the participants that their identities would be kept confidential and that a truthful answer would not impact their work. The authors express their gratitude to all kidney transplantation recipients who participated in the study.