Understanding the Experience of Spirituality of Patients on the Waiting List for Organ Transplantation

Abstract

Objective: To understand how the spirituality of adult patients on the waiting list for solid organ transplantation can be experienced. Materials and methods: Qualitative study was carried out with adult patients on the waiting list for solid organ transplants who used Facebook—a popular social network on the internet. Data were collected through semi structured interviews, conducted remotely with 8 participants, and analyzed using content analysis. Results: Three categories were found that express the experience of spirituality by patients waiting for solid organ transplants, namely: giving meaning to the difficult wait for the transplant, finding the strength to get through the wait, and cultivating good works and gratitude. Conclusion: The study made it possible to understand how patients waiting for a solid organ transplant experience their spirituality and how this influences the waiting process for treatment. For these patients, spirituality proved to be a powerful resource for coping with the adversities encountered while waiting for the transplant. We recommend that more studies be carried out to understand the spiritual experience better and seek to establish intervention strategies in this context.