Caring for heart transplant recipients: The lived experience of primary caregivers

To understand the experience of primary caregivers of heart transplant recipients.

A phenomenological approach was used to understand the caregivers' experience of caring for a heart transplant patient. In-depth interviews were conducted with 11 caregivers, in a Brazilian hospital, from December 2008 to March 2009.

Following the transplant, caregivers' lives change drastically; their priority becomes providing care for their relative. Despite successful transplant results, the uncertainty about future remains, generating permanent distress. Anxiety is exacerbated by familial or economic problems and, consequently, many participants turn to their local communities for support. Some caregivers learn from the experience and plan return to regular activities. Others feel helpless, unable to overcome personal losses and difficulties.

Nurses are ideally placed to lead the way by providing family-centered support and education for caregivers of heart recipients. Listening to the concerns of family caregivers seems to be an essential aspect of effective interventions.