Abstract

CARRILLO-ALGARRA, Ana Julia; MESA-MELGAREJO, Lorena  and  MORENO-RUBIO, Fanny. Care in a Kidney Transplant Program: Accompaniment and Support. Aquichan [online]. 2015, vol.15, n.2, pp.271-282. ISSN 1657-5997.  https://doi.org/10.5294/aqui.2015.15.2.10.

Objective: Understand the care experiences of nurses who are part of kidney transplant groups in the city of Bogota (Colombia). Materials and Methods: This is a qualitative study developed with a focus-group strategy. The information was organized and analyzed pursuant to the coding proposed by Janice M. Morse. Ten out of 20 nurses from transplant units took part, after giving their informed consent. Triangulation was done between the members of the research team and the relevant literature. Results: Six categories emerged: 1) multiple meanings of the transplant: change, passion, satisfaction, hope, freedom, greater closeness, responsibility, commitment and complexity; 2) support networks: family, partnership among nurses, interdisciplinary working group, health insurers and the pharmaceutical industry; 3) day-to-day implications: close relationship with the patient and family, build-up in professional self-esteem, status within the transplant group and handling workloads; 4) the course of professional care: nursing accompaniment and support throughout the patient's life cycle and the possibility of identifying needs in terms of a close relationship with the patient; 5) the nurse's profile: character, knowledge, commitment, continuous availability and management capacity; and 6) contradictions of the transplant: transplant rejection, suffering, despair, health system and, for nurses, exhausting shifts. Conclusion: The findings point to human interaction as a central element of nursing care for transplant patients. It is should prevail over the technical aspects associated with treatment.

Keywords : Kidney transplant; life-changing events; qualitative research; nursing care; narration.

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