Promoting the quality of life of patients who receive organ transplants is a primary concern for nursing. Survival alone is not an adequate indicator of the success of the transplantation and quality of life can no longer be ignored. The purpose of this research is to deductively test the Quality of Life in Organ Transplantation Model. This nursing model generated from grounded theory and literature support contains variables which are theorized to be significant interpersonal and intrapersonal predictors of quality of life following organ transplantation. The qualitative data used to inductively generate the model were obtained from family members of heart transplant patients over 2 1/2 years. The objectives of the research are to investigate which variables in the model are significant predictors of quality of life following heart transplantation in patients as well as family members. A second objective is to identify those variables that differ between patients and family members in predicting quality of life. Recipients of heart transplants and their designated family member in major transplant centers will be asked to participate in a mail survey. After informed consent, subjects will complete paper and pencil tests which measure subjective health status, perceived unpredictability, unpredictability management, hope maintenance, family relations, interpersonal conflict, perceptions of the future, status will also be assessed based on infections, rejections and complications. DAta the research lies in its ultimate usefulness for clinical practice. The study findings can be applied to post transplant counseling programs, and can be used to educate transplant recipients and families about life after transplantation. The information will be useful to the transplant team in planning psychological care to both patients and family members.
