Exploration Into Donor-Recipient Relationship After Living-Donor Liver Transplantation Using Gift-Exchange Theory.

AIM: This qualitative study aimed to explore the donor-recipient relationships following living-donor liver transplantation. METHOD: A 1-time cross-sectional qualitative interview was conducted with liver transplant recipients (n = 17) and living liver donors (n = 11) post-transplant. The interviews were transcribed verbatim and analyzed manually by using thematic content analysis. RESULTS: The mean age of the recipients and the donors was 54.41 ± 8.0 (range 39-71) and 36.6 ± 7.69 (range 28-57) years, respectively. Following the interviews, 2 overarching themes emerged: (1) Became care providers, and (2) differentiation in relationships after transplantation. A total of 3 sub-themes were explained under "differentiation in relationships after transplantation;" feeling guilty, becoming closer and more intense owing to a feeling of indebtedness, and putting some distance owing to a feeling of indebtedness. CONCLUSION: The study focused on the reciprocation stage according to gift-exchange theory. During reciprocation, although recipients expressed positive feelings such as gratitude, closer relationships, and special bonds; they also reported negative feelings like guilt and indebtedness resulting in a purposeful distancing from their donors. Most donors understood what the recipients felt, but they wanted their relationship to return to normal. Married female donors had worse experiences, such as divorce or a weakened marital relationship after donation.

Factors Affecting Attitudes Toward Organ Donation in Health Care Professionals.

BACKGROUND: Health care professionals can affect attitudes toward organ donation in society. The aim of this study was to examine health care professionals' attitudes toward and the affecting factors of organ donation. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This descriptive and cross-sectional study was conducted between June and September in 2018. The sample consisted of 220 health professionals (nurses and physicians) who worked in the University Hospital and Family Health Centers located in Northern Turkey. The data were collected by using a sociodemographic form, an organ donation questionnaire, and the Organ Donation Attitudes Scale. Descriptive statistics (means, standard deviations, and ratios), independent t test, Kruskal-Wallis test, and correlation analyses were used. RESULTS: The mean age of the participants was 36.05 ± 7.52 years (range, 20-52 years). The mean score of the participants was 100.98 ± 13.18 for the positive dimension and 46.81 ± 17.61 for the negative dimension of the scale. It was found that nurses and health care professionals working in university hospitals and intensive care units have higher negative organ donation attitudes (P < .01). It was found that negative attitudes toward organ donation decreased as age increased (r = 0.146; P = .016). Overall, 17.7% of the participants had a donor card. CONCLUSION: Because the negative attitudes of nurses are higher in this study, the results reflect the need for intervention studies to determine the sensitivity to organ donation. It is striking that health care professionals who work in intensive care units have high negative attitudes toward organ donation. It can be recommended that interventional studies be performed with intensive care health care professionals.

Skin Cancer-Sun Knowledge and Sun Protection Behaviors of Liver Transplant Recipients in Turkey.

The aim of this study was to compare liver transplant recipients (LTRs) with the general population regarding their knowledge of skin cancer, sun health, sun protection behaviors, and affecting factors. This cross-sectional study was conducted in Turkey between March 2016 and September 2016 with 104 LTRs and 100 participants from the general population group (GPG). The mean age of the LTRs was 53.2 ± 11.8 and that of the GPG was 42.7 ± 14.5. The LTRs' skin cancer and sun knowledge were significantly lower than in the GPG, but there was no difference between the two groups in terms of their sun protection behavior scores. The most commonly used sun protection behaviors of LTRs were not being outside and not sunbathing between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m., wearing clothing that covers the skin, and avoiding the solarium. Behaviors commonly practiced by the GPG were wearing sunglasses, wearing sunscreen with a sun protection factor of 15 or higher before going outside, wearing sunscreen at the beach, while swimming or doing physical activity outside, and reapplying it every 2 h. Results of our study will contribute to the development of education and training programs for LTRs on skin cancer. The results also demonstrated the importance of practicing adequate sun protection behaviors which will certainly impact their future health.