[Psychologically/Psychosomatically Relevant Aspects in the German Medical Association's Guidelines for Transplant...

Transplant medicine in Germany is regulated by mandatory guidelines of the German Medical Association, the transplant law passed in 1997 serving as the legal basis. In 2012 a comprehensive modification of the guideline procedure was initiated. Since then, all guidelines are subject to an elaborate revision process. The present contribution initially depicts relevant background information and explains the formal aspects of the guideline procedure. Subsequently, the psychologically/psychosomatically relevant contents of the guidelines for organ transplantation are presented. With regard to this matter, first of all the state of the guidelines prior to the current revisions is described. Afterwards, already adopted revisions as well as published drafts are explicated, followed by the authors' evaluation of the revisions and recommendations for further revisions to be pursued. In addition, recommendations on psychosocial aspects regarding the evaluation and follow-up in living organ donation are presented, which have been submitted in similar form to the German Medical Association for a currently drawn up guideline.