Approaching End-of-Life Care in Organ Transplantation: The Impact of Transplant Patients' Death and Dying

Despite the success of transplantation, many transplant candidates and transplant recipients die each year. Some die awaiting transplants and some die months or years after receiving an organ. Quality end-of-life care can play a valuable role in easing the impact of death and dying in transplantation, as it focuses on enhancing patients' quality of life near death. Quality end-of-life care recognizes the values and preferences of patients and their families, and involves a process of shared decision making about patients' healthcare treatment in collaboration with healthcare practitioners. Advance care planning involves discussions with patients about their wishes and values about care, in the event that the patient becomes incapable of making such decisions. This article focuses on the application to transplantation of quality end-of-life care and advance care planning and identifies the effects that death and dying of transplant patients have on others. The information herein encourages healthcare practitioners to view and deliver quality end-of-life care as part of transplant patients' overall treatment management.