Health Needs of Patients Undergoing Liver Transplant From the Context of Hospital Discharge

To identify the health needs of the patient and family facing the perspectives of discharge, health care, and adaptation to the new reality at home.

This was a quantitative and qualitative, exploratory, descriptive study conducted at a reference hospital for liver transplantation. The participants were patients undergoing liver transplant in this hospital unit from 2011 to June 2019. A semistructured interview script was used for data collection, and data were analyzed according to guidelines proposed for content analysis.

Twenty patients participated, with a mean age of 40.2 years; 76% were men. The interview data enabled the development of 3 categories: daily health care, warning signs, and adaptation to the new health care routine. The data obtained from the categories showed that the main health needs include difficulties in blood glucose management, insulin administration, the importance of awareness of the warning signs, and obtaining support from the health care team to deal with food restrictions and high doses of medication.

The health needs are focused on identifying strategies to develop daily care, in addition to seeking better strategies to adapt to the new reality. The study showed the need for individualized discharge planning by the health care team, based on the health needs of each patient.