Psychological Distress in Hospitalized Patients Awaiting Organ Transplantation: Case Examples, Thematic Exploration, and Suggestions for Intervention

Organ transplantation is a life-saving mechanism with a large public health burden given the necessity of individuals to donate their organs in the event of their own death. Understanding the psychological and medical sequelae of individuals receiving an organ transplant is invaluable in a successful transplant. The waiting period for transplantation is the most psychologically difficult period, and is an important window during which to intervene psychologically and medically. Patients who are hospitalized during this waiting period make up the most vulnerable population given the psychological difficulties of not only awaiting transplant but of a prolonged and difficult hospitalization. This paper is a first step in understanding the psychological landscape of hospitalized patient’s awaiting transplant and the potential research avenues and intervention strategies that may be utilized in order to decrease the psychological burden as well as influence successful medical outcomes in organ transplantation.