Donors self-reported experiences of live kidney donation--a prospective study

Many reports on living kidney donation describe rapid recovery. In our experience rehabilitation is rather slow. This study aimed to explore self-reported health status among living donors (LDs) three to four weeks and six months post-donation with a longitudinal design. In this study. LDs (n = 112) reported their physical and mental health by responding to a questionnaire before surgery, after three to four weeks and after six months. Points could range from 1 (normal) to 5 (severe trouble), total score 7-35. Age (n = 112) was 50 years (median) and 52% were females. Before surgery, the total score was 9 (7-21). After three to four weeks, the score was 15 (7-31), with a rise in all measured variables. Women noted higher score rises than men (p = 0.01). The majority showed complete recovery after six months. It is clear that professional nursing support in the recuperation period is needed. Nursing interventions should aim at preventing delay and setbacks in the donors' recovery process.