Adaptation to renal transplantation: an exploratory qualitative study

Knowledge of individual client's emotional and psychological reactions to renal transplantation is essential for the effective delivery of preoperative and post-operative nursing care. In this study six recipients of donor kidneys were each interviewed over a period of six months at two monthly intervals. The interviews were unstructured, almost conversational, and the qualitative data collected was analysed based on the principles of phenomenology and organized into eight basic themes. After close examination of the material collected, significant issues of concern were identified and these became the focus of further and more intense study. This culminated in chapter six with three distinctive areas of concern being noted. Nurses who deal with clients who are preparing to undertake a transplant or who have received a donor kidney are confronted with the challenge of managing a range of human emotions, which are the product of very personal perceptions of life, beliefs, and reactions to physical trauma. This study will provide the individual nurse with invaluable awareness of how best to respond to these demands.