Patient Education and Psychosocial Care in Transplantation Flashcards

Which psychological condition is most commonly seen in transplant recipients awaiting an organ on the waiting list?

Answer: Depression and anxiety

Depression and anxiety are highly prevalent in transplant candidates and recipients, driven by uncertainty, health burden, and life disruption, requiring regular psychosocial screening.

A kidney transplant recipient expresses guilt about their donor's death. What is the most therapeutic nursing response?

Answer: Acknowledge the patient's feelings, normalize them, and offer connection to counseling or donor family support programs

Survivor guilt is a recognized psychological response in transplant recipients; acknowledging feelings, normalizing them, and offering support resources is the therapeutic approach.

Which lifestyle modification is most important to counsel a transplant recipient about for long-term cardiovascular health?

Answer: Smoking cessation, regular exercise, and blood pressure management

Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death in transplant recipients, so smoking cessation, exercise, and BP management are paramount lifestyle counseling topics.

What dietary counseling should a transplant nurse provide to a patient taking tacrolimus about grapefruit?

Answer: Grapefruit and grapefruit juice must be avoided because they inhibit CYP3A4 and can dramatically increase tacrolimus levels

Grapefruit inhibits intestinal CYP3A4 enzymes, unpredictably elevating tacrolimus blood levels and risking toxicity — it must be completely avoided.

A liver transplant recipient reports drinking alcohol occasionally. What is the most appropriate nursing response?

Answer: Alcohol is absolutely contraindicated after liver transplantation due to risk of graft injury and recurrence of alcoholic liver disease

Alcohol is contraindicated after liver transplantation because it can damage the graft and cause recurrence of alcoholic liver disease, threatening graft survival.

Which transplant patient situation requires mandatory referral to social work?

Answer: Patient expresses inability to afford medications or housing instability

Financial instability and housing insecurity are social determinants that directly threaten medication adherence and graft survival, requiring urgent social work intervention.