Illness experience in heart transplant patients: a narrative review
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.55892/jrg.v7i15.1602Keywords:
Narrative Medicine, Illness Experience, Heart TransplantAbstract
Objective: Describe the research path on heart transplant recipients' illness experience. Literature Review: Heart transplantation is the gold standard in treating end-stage heart disease. Despite the undeniable benefits of the procedure, various challenges impact patients’ quality of life and experiences. The heart holds an ancient symbolic significance, which influences the perception of the transplant recipient. Studying the narratives of transplant recipients through qualitative research has proven crucial for better understanding these challenges. Most literature on this topic is concentrated in the Sweden-UK-Canada axis, based on a highly innovative project (PITH) resulting from interdisciplinary collaboration among philosophers, social scientists, cardiologists, psychiatrists, and artists. In Brazil, only two studies have been produced so far. The most frequently encountered themes involve gratitude, coping, and identity reconstruction. Final Considerations: The review highlights gaps and research opportunities, particularly in the Brazilian population, whose transcultural idiosyncrasies have yet to be fully understood within the group of transplant recipients. Studies involving rigorous qualitative research adapted to the Brazilian reality may serve as a strategy to advance knowledge-building in this field.
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