Primary Caregiver Stress in Caring for a Living-related Liver Transplantation Recipient During the Postoperative Stage

Aim: The aim of this study was to explore the stress experienced by the primary family caregiver of the living-related liver transplantation patient during the postoperative stage.

Background: Living-related liver transplantation is a treatment choice for end-stage liver disease patients who face a shortage of available donated livers. Research suggests that the caregiver of the liver transplant recipient experiences tremendous stress because a family member is on the waiting list. Nevertheless, there are limited studies that investigate the caregiver experience of stress during this surgery.

Method: This qualitative study used face-to-face semi-structured interviews to understand the subjective experiences of study participants. The study participants were drawn from a tertiary medical centre in northern Taiwan. During the data collection period (October 2007 to May 2008), 6 of the 12 caregivers agreed to participate in this study (N = 6), all of whom were female and, except for one participant, were the wives of the recipients.

Results: Participant stress was caused by the gap between expectations and primary caregiving experiences. In particular, the five themes that were identified: (a) unstable sentiment towards liver transplantation; (b) entanglement of burden; (c) non-synchronized family interaction; (d) distance from the healthcare professional; and (e) concern about the protector role function.

Conclusions: The stress of primary caregivers of living-related liver transplantation is related to the gap between expectations and primary caregiving experiences. The immediate postoperative stage is a critical one for health professionals to provide intervention and management.