Living well or not? Quality of life of parental living liver donors: A cross-sectional study

Abstract

Aim: The aim of this study was to gain comprehensive insight into the quality of life of parental living liver donors after liver donation.

Background: Several studies reported good quality of life of living liver donors with the SF-36 scale. Care demand from the recipient and responsibility of being parent might make a difference in parental donors' personal experienced quality of life after transplantation surgery.

Methods: It is a cross-sectional study. The parental donors' demographics, clinical data and post-donation complications were obtained. Quality of life was assessed using the Medical Outcomes Study SF-36 and the Quality of Life Scale of Living Organ Donors-Common Module.

Patient or public contribution: The enrolled participants were contacted by electronic questionnaires and telephonic interview.

Results: A total of 345 parental donors were included, with recruited period ranging from 3 to 85 months post-donation. 8.1% of donors had post-operative complications, mostly classified as Clavien grade II. Donors' general quality of life was higher than the Chinese general norm. Issues related to surgical incision, fatigue, worries about income and personal health, effects on work capability, increased medical expenses and difficult reimbursement and suspected donation decision were the prominent problems among donors. Mother-son relationship (OR = 1.87) and equal or less than 2 years after donation (OR = 3.08) were the influencing factors for poor physical quality of life, while unmarried status (e.g. divorced or widowed) was found negatively associated with mental quality of life (adjusted OR = 3.61).

Conclusions: General health among parental donors is good but those female, unmarried and near post-donation might in low life quality. Incision, fatigue, finance, reimbursement and donation decision are prominent problems.

Relevance to clinical practice: Post-donation care of living donors should cover social and financial domain besides physical and mental dimension. Providing follow-up care and counselling is necessary to ensure their life quality.

Keywords: adult nursing; general health; liver transplantation; living donor; quality of life.