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Experiencing liver transplantation: a phenomenological approach
Author(s) -
Forsberg Anna,
Bäckman Lars,
Möller Anders
Publication year - 2000
Publication title -
journal of advanced nursing
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.948
H-Index - 155
eISSN - 1365-2648
pISSN - 0309-2402
DOI - 10.1046/j.1365-2648.2000.01480.x
Subject(s) - transplantation , interpretative phenomenological analysis , psychological intervention , liver transplantation , meaning (existential) , identity (music) , medicine , psychology , mental health , social support , psychotherapist , nursing , qualitative research , surgery , sociology , social science , physics , acoustics
Experiencing liver transplantation: a phenomenological approach In order to promote health, nurses and other health care professionals need to discover and articulate the meaning that is implicit in experiencing life after liver transplantation. From such an understanding, appropriate nursing interventions can be based. The aim of this study was to investigate the subjective experiences of the meaning of having a liver transplant, 1 year after the transplantation. After approval from the ethics committee at Göteborg University, 12 patients, nine women and three men, were interviewed. The study sample was chosen strategically to represent common diagnoses preceding liver transplantation. A phenomenological approach was chosen for the study. Analyses of the interviews were based on a modified version of a phenomenological method by Karlsson. Seven categories emerged: facing the inevitable; recapturing the body; emotional chaos; leaving the experts; family and friends; the threat of graft rejection; and honouring the donor. Having undergone a liver transplant meant living in a paradoxical situation. Knowing that you survived, it was a struggle to regain physical strength under great emotional stress. The recipients had to self‐administer life‐long medication, recognize symptoms indicating a potential problem and monitor for the possibility of graft rejection. Social support was essential for recovery. Meeting others with the same experience helped liver‐transplanted patients to deal with their identity crises as well as undergo a transformation from being utterly unique to a survivor among others. The clinical implications from this study are that interventions, such as patient education, and social and mental support, are important tools to optimize both self‐care capacity and the ability to maintain a healthy perception of identity after having a liver transplant at least up to 12 months post‐transplant.