Networking, Coping, and Communicating About a Medical Crisis: A Phenomenological Inquiry of Transplant Recipient Communication

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.