Psychological Adaptation to Transplanted Organ: A Hermeneutic Phenomenological Study

Abstract

Background: While organ transplantation is a common surgical procedure worldwide, it is yet well-examined how the recipients of newly-transplanted organs adapt and accept a new organ from another body. Adaptation and acceptance of a vital organ from another person is a complex phenomenon, and medical staff needs to delve into this issue to provide appropriate care. Objectives: The present study aimed to explore the transplant recipients' experiences of adaptation to the transplanted organ. Method: A qualitative research design with a hermeneutic phenomenological approach was adopted in this study. In-depth unstructured interviews were conducted by one of the authors (Z. S.) in different locations across Iran. The purposive sampling method was used to select 20 transplant recipients (n = 4 kidney transplantation; n = 10 heart transplantation; n = 4 liver transplantations; and n= 2 blood transfusion). Results: The constitutive pattern emerged from the data was ‘Psychological adaptation to transplanted organ’, with three themes (namely ‘Alien organ,’ ‘Ensure of being the patch of togetherness,’ and ‘Durability of new organ in body’) and several sub-themes. Conclusions: According to the organ recipients' experiences, it takes time for the recipients to accept another person's organ as their own. The transplant team members need to openly and proactively discuss the many psychological and spiritual issues to which the newly-transplanted organ recipients are exposed to facilitate the adaptation and acceptance of the new organs.