The life experiences of living liver donors: A qualitative meta‐synthesis

Abstract

As living liver transplantation has become a standard treatment method with a high success rate, many studies have investigated the experiences of living liver donors; however, their results have not been integrated. This qualitative meta‐synthesis aimed to explore the life experiences of living liver donors to provide an in‐depth understanding of meaningful common experiences. A comprehensive search on qualitative studies published in English or Korean was conducted in October 2021. The PRISMA statement was used for reporting each phase of the literature search, and MAXQDA2020 software was used for data analysis. Data synthesis was conducted using the three‐step thematic synthesis method suggested by Thomas and Harden. Ten articles met the inclusion criteria. The analysis revealed five main themes: “Becoming an earnest donor,” “Transitioning from a potential donor to an actual donor,” “Difficulties in returning to normal life,” “Re‐examining the meaning of donation,” and “Wishes for prospective donors.” The study emphasizes that living liver donors need medical attention and intervention from multilateral perspectives as well as the need for systematic change in the society to enhance support for donors. This review provides comprehensive insights on how individuals became the living liver donor and the important aspects of living donation and other considerations in an integrated manner. Transplant teams, including nurses and coordinators, should have a comprehensive understanding of physical, psychological, and social experiences of donors ranging from decision‐making to post donation health management.

Post-Donation Regret and Anxiety Among Family Living Liver Donors: The Mediating Roles of Family Relationships and Sense of Mastery

“…To provide family-centered care, the first step is to strengthen the relationship between the donor and recipient. Although LLDs may experience both physical and psychological discomfort after donation, they often hesitate to express their struggles for fear of burdening or worrying the recipient, leading them to endure their feelings alone [43,51]. Recipients may feel infinite gratitude towards the donor but may also experience feelings of guilt and hesitation in expressing these openly [51,52].…”

“…Although LLDs may experience both physical and psychological discomfort after donation, they often hesitate to express their struggles for fear of burdening or worrying the recipient, leading them to endure their feelings alone [43,51]. Recipients may feel infinite gratitude towards the donor but may also experience feelings of guilt and hesitation in expressing these openly [51,52]. In some cases, living donation can intensify unsolved tension, disappointments, and resentments between them [52].…”

Research Trends on Living Donors for Liver Transplantation: A Text Network Analysis and Topic Modeling

“…Donors experience a complex journey that requires change and adaptation to their physical and psychosocial status throughout the donation process, which includes decision-making, donor suitability assessments, postoperative liver regeneration, and functional recovery [9,10]. Therefore, to comprehensively understand the physical and psychosocial aspects of postoperative donors and meet their needs, it is necessary to review the research on donors to improve understanding and expand knowledge.…”

What is said about #donateliver or #liverdonor? Reflexive thematic analysis of Twitter (X) posts from 2012 to 2022

“…Given that the liver has a remarkable ability to regenerate itself, coupled with the continued shortage of cadaveric donor organs, many countries have adopted legislative changes and initiated public campaigns with varying degrees of success in encouraging organ donation [ 8 ]. Previous qualitative studies have reported apprehension of donors owing to the tedious screening processes, lengthy preoperative assessment and potential physical and medical sequalae after surgery [ 9 , 10 ]. Although prior qualitative studies have elucidated the lived experiences of transplant recipients and living donors, there are undoubtedly limitations with traditional semi-structured interviews and gaps in understanding with regard to a potential donor’s decision-making process and post-donation health management experience.…”