Ambivalent lived experiences and instruction need of patients in the early period after kidney transplantation: a phenomenological study.

Kidney transplantation has become a well-established alternative to dialysis in Germany. However, little is known about how patients experience their new situation shortly after the transplant and about their instruction and education needs. The purpose of this phenomenological study is to describe patients' experiences after kidney transplantation before being discharged from the hospital and to identify topics for patient instruction and education. The method included 10 semi-structured interviews with patients after a first-time kidney transplantation. The essential structure of the experiences can be described as a "feeling of being torn." Within this overarching theme, six sub-themes and contents for patient education were identified In conclusion, for practice, it is necessary to offer an actively approaching and realistic instruction and education to create everyday skills and a higher degree of self-determination in patients receiving a kidney transplant.