title: Networking, coping, and communicating about a medical crisis: a phenomenological inquiry of transplant recipient communication.
abstract: Through a phenomenological framework, the authors attempt to shed light on the communication processes of organ transplant recipients when discussing transplantation and related topics. Eight essential themes (awareness, support, commitment, pride, education, mentoring, comparison, and community) emerged from 37 participants as central to the communicative experiences of transplant recipients and their families. Additional insight was generated through a 2nd tier of focus group discussions resulting in a proposed model of transplant recipient communication. An interpretation of the model, implications for future research, and implications for praxis are presented.
authors.affiliation: Department of Speech Communication, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 61801, USA. kleslie@uiuc.edu
authors.forename: K M
authors.initials: KM
authors.lastname: Bauer
authors.forename: M P
authors.initials: MP
authors.lastname: Orbe
mesh_terms: D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D000739:Anecdotes as Topic; D001294:Attitude to Health; D001364:Awareness; D003142:Communication; D017144:Focus Groups; D006266:Health Education; D006801:Humans; D007629:Kentucky; D016377:Organ Transplantation / Q000523:psychology*; D010817:Physician-Patient Relations; D012944:Social Support; D014019:Tissue Donors / Q000523:psychology