Desire for Control, Coping, and Quality of Life in Heart and Lung Transplant Candidates, Recipients, and Spouses: A Pilot Study

To understand the interdependence of couples involved in transplantation, both partners need to be included in the same study. This pilot study explored the desire for control, coping, and quality of life in heart and lung transplant candidates, recipients, and spouses, using McCubbin's Double ABCX Model as the conceptual basis. Sixty letters were mailed to randomly selected candidates and recipients at 2 transplant centers. Twenty-five couples completed a demographic sheet and the following surveys: The Desire for Control Scale, the Family Crisis Oriented Personal Evaluation Scale, and the Quality of Life Index. There were 9 pretransplant and 16 posttransplant couples. Analyses included measures of central tendency, analysis of variance, t tests, and correlations. There were statistically significant differences between pretransplant patients' quality of life and all other groups. There were moderate correlations between several patient and spouse variables. It was recommended that healthcare professionals include both patients and spouses when planning interventions.

Desire for control, coping, and quality of life in heart and lung transplant candidates, recipients, and spouses: a pilot study

To understand the interdependence of couples involved in transplantation, both partners need to be included in the same study. This pilot study explored the desire for control, coping, and quality of life in heart and lung transplant candidates, recipients, and spouses, using McCubbin's Double ABCX Model as the conceptual basis. Sixty letters were mailed to randomly selected candidates and recipients at 2 transplant centers. Twenty-five couples completed a demographic sheet and the following surveys: the Desire for Control Scale, the Family Crisis Oriented Personal Evaluation Scale, and the Quality of Life Index. There were 9 pretransplant and 16 posttransplant couples. Analyses included measures of central tendency, analysis of variance, t tests, and correlations. There were statistically significant differences between pretransplant patients' quality of life and all other groups. There were moderate correlations between several patient and spouse variables. It was recommended that healthcare professionals include both patients and spouses when planning interventions.

Experiences of well spouses after lung transplantation

AIM OF THE STUDY

To explore what life is like for well spouses after their partners' lung transplantation?

BACKGROUND

The numbers of people having a lung transplant in the United States of America (USA), as well as surviving beyond 1 and 5 years, has increased steadily over the last decade. This trend is expected to continue. Few have examined the transplant experience from the view of well spouses who are the most typical patient-support person. Researchers have shown that spousal adjustment is closely associated with patient adjustment and recovery.

DESIGN/METHODS

Using written surveys and taped telephone interviews in 1998, a convenience sample of 12 well spouses shared details of their lives after their partners' lung transplant. Spouses from eight states in the USA responded to an invitation to participate which was posted on an internet listserv. Ages ranged from 40 to 66 years and the posttransplant time ranged from 4 to 60 months. Spouses completed a demographic form, the Family Inventory of Life Events (FILE), and the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CES-D) prior to interview. Triangulation of methods augmented and corroborated data. Interviews stopped when saturation was reached. Data collection and analyses were carried out simultaneously using a constant comparative method.

RESULTS

The core theme was the "roller coaster ride" characterized by a series of ups and downs. Other major themes were coping, giving medications, knowing the donor, making comparisons, togetherness, and caring for the well spouse. Five identified stages were: the transplant event, cocooning, normalizing, branching-out and settling down.

CONCLUSIONS

This study supports nurses using a family centred focus. Nurses in all practice areas can apply information gained from this study to help spouses anticipate chaos at each stage and develop effective coping strategies.

Managing clinical experiences for minority students with physical disabilities and impairments

According to the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, clinical training programs cannot refuse admission to individuals with certain physical limitations. That is, an otherwise qualified person who meets program requirements in spite of a handicap must not be discriminated against. Since hypertension and renal disease affect a disproportionately higher number of African Americans than others, the numbers of students with physical disabilities as well as students of color who are also adult learners are likely to increase in clinical nursing programs. This article discusses a planning model developed and implemented by nursing faculty in a baccalaureate degree nursing program at a historically Black university which was used as a guide for the inclusion in clinical practice of students experiencing physical disabilities. A case study is presented to illustrate how the model was implemented with an immunosupressed student secondary to a renal transplantation.