The obligation to say 'Thank you': heart transplant recipients' experience of writing to the donor family

Transplant recipients are encouraged to write anonymous thank-you letters to the donor family. We prospectively explored heart transplant recipients' embodied responses to the 'obligation' to write a thank-you letter using audio/video-taped open-ended interviews (N = 27). Fifteen of the 19 participants, who wrote letters to the donor family, expressed or visually revealed significant distress about issues such as the obligation to write anonymously and the inadequacy of the 'thank-you'. Writing the thank-you letter is not a neutral experience for heart transplant recipients. Rethinking the obligatory practice regarding the thank-you letter and developing the necessary support for the recipient through this process is necessary.

The behavior of preschoolers during and after brief surgical hospitalizations

This qualitative study describes the behavior of preschool children during and after very brief hospitalizations for tonsillectomies and/or adenoidectomies. Structured, open-ended home interviews were conducted with 23 parents 5 to 7 days after their children's hospital discharge. Parents were asked to describe their children's behaviors during hospitalization and the first week at home. Approximately half of the parents and children had attended an optional surgical preadmission teaching program. The remaining parents had prepared their children for hospitalization using toy doctor kits and library books. Preoperatively, children who had attended the program behaved similarly to those who had not: They either cooperated fully, resisted initially, or completely refused to cooperate with admission procedures. Most children separated easily from their parents to enter the operating room, whereas some (n = 5) demonstrated great anxiety. However, immediately after surgery, most children who had not attended the program appeared more distressed than those who had attended. Finally, despite their relatively minor surgeries and brief hospitalizations, after discharge the majority of children (83%), regardless of whether they had attended the program, exhibited signs of distress. In comparison with their prehospitalization behavior, parents reported that their children were more irritable, had more nightmares, had appetite changes, and experienced more separation anxiety. Implications for nursing practice and research are discussed.