The Critical Role of Mental Health Specialists in Organ Transplantation Teams: An ELPAT Position Statement

Transplant patients face complex medical and psychosocial challenges that require multidisciplinary protocols and care plans. Despite this, mental health support remains varied across centers and countries, leading to unmet mental health needs. The psychological impact of transplantation is evident before and after transplantation. Transplant patients at any stage face several challenges. Non-adherence to medications is common and can be a result of the psychological burden. A transplant mental health service could address these problems and, consequently, help improve quality of life and adherence, reduce complications, and prolong graft survival. We believe this might be beneficial from an economic perspective as well, even though further research is needed. We propose a comprehensive approach based on the biopsychosocial care model for integrating specialized mental health professionals into transplant teams across all phases of care. We call upon transplant centers, medical societies, insurance providers, and policymakers to recognize the importance of mental health expertise in transplantation.