Making the transition: pediatric lung transplantation

Little information exists regarding how parents whose children have undergone lung transplantation perceive the meaning of their return home to face the reality of the posttransplant experience.

A naturalistic approach was selected to investigate the meaning of the experience from the perspective of the parents. Fifteen parents of 12 children were interviewed. Colaizzi's method of phenomenologic analysis guided the analysis of the interview data.

A theme cluster, "making the transition," emerged from the data. The themes that reflected parents' perceptions of the issues they faced in the posttransplant period included reuniting the family, assuming a new role, returning to school, facing the risk of infection, facing the threat of rejection, and striking a balance.

Parents' perceptions of the situation reflected the shifting impact of uncertainty on their daily lives and coping strategies. The need exists to recognize the parents' unique and changing needs and to implement individualized nursing care to meet their needs.