Navigating the solid organ transplant process

• Main Author: Waldron, Rebecca
• Published: Lancaster University 2012
• Subjects: 617.001
• Online Access: http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.657995

This doctoral thesis explores how people experience the process of solid organ transplantation. It includes a systematic literature review of qualitative research regarding coping during the waiting period; a research paper of the experiences of young adult heart transplant recipients; a critical review and an ethics section. The literature review synthesises qualitative research of transplant candidates' experiences of coping using systematic methods. It identifies two overarching themes. The first, 'processing and protecting self and others from the reality of transplant candidacy' involved making sense of waiting and managing emotional reactions. The second 'a new kind of normal' involved accepting limitations of transplant candidacy while maintaining hope and personal control where possible. Implications for supporting transplant candidates including, reducing barriers to communication, and further research are discussed. The research paper explores the experience of the heart transplant process in young adults, as different life stages present different challenges in adjusting to illness, and this has been overlooked in transplant literature. An interpretative phenomenological analysis was conducted with data from nine young adult heart transplant recipients. Three themes of 'keeping illness at a distance', 'working toward normality' and 'living with difference' were identified. These are discussed in relation to previous literature regarding heart transplant recipients' experiences and implications for supporting young adults through the heart transplant process are presented. The critical review presents reflection on aspects of the research process including the influence of dominant discourses regarding organ transplant on the researcher and participants and the impact of the research on the researchers' professional development, both in terms of clinical and research roles.