生活品質是評量末期腎病患者治療成效、死亡率的重要指標。少有研究探討症狀困擾和社會支持對腎移植患者之生活品質影響。故本研究目的為檢測腎移植後患者症狀困擾、社會支持和基本特質對其生活品質之影響。採相關性研究法，運用結構式問卷包括症狀困擾量表、社會支持量表及生活品質指標來進行調查，以立意取樣方式，自台南市某醫學中心，邀請113位於門診追蹤之腎移植患者參與研究，運用面對面方式收集問卷資料。以SPSS 10.1統計軟體進行資料輸入與分析，包括百分比、排序、平均值及標準差、t檢定、單因子變異數分析、皮爾遜相關積差和多元迴歸等敘述及推論性統計分析法。結果發現腎移植患者有中等程度的生活品質；症狀困擾、社會支持、年齡、職業及家庭收入對生活品質有28.8%之解釋力。本研究結果建議：臨床腎移植病人的照護應從個人及家庭層面介入，藉由增加病患的社會支持及教導管理疾病症狀的有效方法來提升腎移植患者的生活品質。此外，也建議未來配置腎臟移植專科護理師設計與執行相關的介入方案，以提供更全面的照護。

Quality of life is an important indicator for evaluating therapeutic outcomes and mortality in patients with end-stage renal disease. Few studies have explored the impact of symptom distress and social support on quality of life in this population. A correlational study was designed to examine the influence of symptom distress, social support and demographic characteristics on quality of life in renal transplant recipients. Aconvenience sample of 113 renal transplant recipients was recruited from a medical center in Southern Taiwan. A structured questionnaire was used to collect data. This four-part tool included: Quality of Life Index-Kidney Transplant Version III, Physical Symptom Distress Scale, Social Support Scale, and demographic characteristics. Data were analyzed by descriptive and inferential statistics (SPSS 10.1 statistical package). Percentage, rank, mean and standard deviation, t-tests, chi-square, ANOVA, Pearson's correlation and multiple regression were computed. Results showed that renal transplant recipients had a moderate quality of life. Social support and symptom distress, age, employment status, and household income significantly explained 28.8% of the variance in quality of life. Findings suggest implications for interventional programming and research aimed toward improving quality of life, including individual and family-based approaches designed to enhance recipients' social support and address effective management of symptoms. Recruiting a transplant clinical nurse specialist to design and implement an intervention program also is recommended.