title: [The Lived Experience of Patients with Heart Transplantation: A Phenomenological Study].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The purpose of this study was to describe the lived experience of patients with heart transplantation in Korea.
  
  
  METHODS
  Individual indepth interviews and a focus group interview were used to collect the data from nine patients who had heart transplantations in 2015. All interviews were audio-taped and verbatim transcripts were made for the analysis. Data were analyzed using Colaizzi's phenomenological method.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Among the nine participants, eight were men. Mean age was 57.30 years. Six theme clusters emerged from the analysis. 'Joy of rebirth obtained by good luck' describes the pleasure and expectation of new life after narrow survival. 'Suffering from adverse drug effects' illustrates various psychosocial difficulties, such as low self-esteem, helplessness, alienation, and burnout, arising from the side effects of medications. 'Body and mind of being bewildered' illustrates disintegrated health and haunting fear of death. 'Alienation disconnected with society' describes isolated feeling of existence due to misunderstandings from society. 'Suffering overcome with gratitude and responsibility' includes overcoming experience through various social supports and suitable jobs. Finally, 'acceptance of suffering accompanied with new heart' illustrate changed perspective of life itself.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The findings in this study provide deep understanding and insights of the lived experience of heart related illness for these patients and should help in the development of tailored-interventions for patients with heart transplantation.
authors.affiliation: Nursing Department, Yeoju Institute of Technology, Yeoju, Korea. ihui@yit.ac.kr.
authors.forename: Younghui
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Hwang
authors.affiliation: College of Nursing, Seoul National University, Seoul, Korea.
authors.forename: Myungsun
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Yi
mesh_terms: D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D000368:Aged; D001293:Attitude to Death; D001294:Attitude to Health; D005260:Female; D006084:Graft Rejection / Q000517:prevention & control; D006333:Heart Failure / Q000523:psychology* / Q000628:therapy; D016027:Heart Transplantation; D006801:Humans; D007166:Immunosuppressive Agents / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D036301:Qualitative Research; D011788:Quality of Life; D012649:Self Concept; D012944:Social Support; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires
chemical_list: D007166:Immunosuppressive Agents
keywords: Heart transplantation; Life change event; Organ transplantation; Qualitative research