Patients' experiences of everyday life after lung transplantation.

AIM

To investigate the experiences of everyday life after lung transplantation of patients with previous chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).

BACKGROUND

Compared with patients being transplanted due to other indications, those with COPD prior to lung transplantation report more problems in the form of shortness of breath, fatigue, sexual problems, insomnia and increased appetite. In addition, they are often faced with problems returning to normal working life. How these problems influence the patient's everyday life is unknown.

DESIGN

An exploratory qualitative study.

METHODS

Ten COPD patients (five females and five males) aged 51-69 and more than six months post transplantation, were interviewed using of a semi-structured interview guide. All interviews were taperecorded, transcribed verbatim and analysed using qualitative content analysis.

FINDINGS

The analysis revealed four themes of experience: a second chance; an ordinary life without chronic rejection; even minor daily activities take time with chronic rejection; and need for support and knowledge that were considered important by the participants for their situation and daily life.

CONCLUSIONS

This is the first study describing the experiences of everyday life after lung transplantation of patients with COPD prior to surgery. The findings highlight the importance of addressing these patients' experiences of gratitude, positive life orientation and informational needs in relation to everyday life.

RELEVANCE TO CLINICAL PRACTICE

Health professionals should be aware of the kind of problems both women and men may experience a long time after the lung transplantation. They constitute a basic knowledge of a patient's everyday life that is important when planning individual counselling and rehabilitation.