AN EXPLORATORY-STUDY OF RECIPIENTS PERCEPTIONS OF BONE-MARROW TRANSPLANTATION

Bone marrow transplantation (BMT) is now an established form of treatm ent for a wide range of malignant and non-malignant diseases. Research has led to understanding and effective treatment of many side-effects of BMT, However, relatively little is known about how patients' perce ive BMT, and how they view their experiences during transplantation. T he purpose of this study was to describe the perceptions of a small gr oup of BMT recipients, Audio-taped interviews were undertaken with six recipients of BMT who were well and in remission, This provided in-de pth descriptive data of these individuals' experiences, which were ana lysed using latent content analysis, Five broad categories were identi fied under which data were grouped and discussed: mortality and death; luck; 'prison' (protective isolation); relationships; and physical ef fects. These revealed that patients attached relatively little importa nce to the physical effects of BMT, possibly because of the effectiven ess of treatment. However, this led to a focus on other concerns, whic h the categories reflect. The importance of family members, particular ly spouses, in sharing the burden of BMT, and the strengthening of fam ily relationships were highlighted, The value of nurses was also empha sized. Protective isolation was found to be a stressor in two differen t ways. All of those interviewed reported concern with thoughts of the ir own mortality and possible death before and during BMT. Recommendat ions for nurses working in BMT units and suggestions for the direction of future research are made.