The Concept of Psychologically Informed Heart Transplantation Care
Abstract
1. Relevant Psychosocial Factors and Aspects of the Heart Transplantation Journey
- Predictors of poor post-transplant outcomes;
- Factors influencing patient knowledge, understanding, and engagement in the informed decision-making process;
- Personal, social, and environmental resources and possibilities.
2. Psychologically Informed Care
3. An Example of Practical Implementation of Psychologically Informed Transplant Care
3.1. Multidimensional Adherence Model Adapted to Heart Transplant Care
3.2. The Spectrum Approach
4. Barriers of Practical Implementation
5. Conclusions
Author Contributions
Funding
Data Availability Statement
Acknowledgments
Conflicts of Interest
Abbreviations
| LIPI | Low-Intensity Psychological Interventions |
| MAM | Multidimensional Adherence Model |
| HTX | heart transplantation |
| WHO | World Health Organization |
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| MAM Dimension | Factor- Related Content | HTX Specificity | Potential Barriers to Adherence | Evidence-Based Interventions |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Patient-related | Gender, Age, Attitudes, Knowledge [42] | misbeliefs of the donated heart: donor and donation images; psychological acceptance of the new heart; emotional connection with the donor (feeling of guilt); recovered patient phenomena; misbeliefs and misinformation about medications; HTX-specific patient education; cognitive status; psychological conditions, psychiatric comorbidities [4,43,44,45,46,47,48,49,50] | Lack of motivation or self-efficacy; beliefs and concerns; cognitive impairments; depression, anxiety [4,43,44,45,46,47,48,49,50] | Motivational interviewing, problem-solving training, digital reminders, combined education and behavior change counseling, psychological support [4,43,44,45,46,47,48,49,50] |
| Condition-related | Symptom severity, Comorbidity [42] | progression of rehabilitation–increase in physical capacity; body and visceral sensations connected to the new heart; affective status connected to somatic experiences; post-transplant affective and anxiety disorders, recognizing the signs of rejection or other malformations that can cause rejection; [50,51,52,53,54,55] | Asymptomatic chronic conditions → low risk perception; comorbidities; disease fluctuation, post-transplant depression, and its effect on cognitive function [50,51,52,53,54,55] | Self-monitoring (e.g., home blood pressure/glucose); regular feedback; condition-specific education; psychological check-ups, parallel to medical check-ups; and supportive therapy [50,51,52,53,54,55] |
| Treatment-related | Complexity of Medication, Dose, Frequency [42] | life-long immunosuppression; deep understanding of medications; HTX-specific diet and rules; medication flavor and dosage; type of formulations, frequency of administration, product-related considerations; multimorbidity caused by medication side effects [56,57,58,59] | Polypharmacy; complex dosing regimen; side effects; parenteral/compound formulations [56,57,58,59] | Regimen simplification (once daily; fixed-dose combinations); packaged dosing; reminders; side effect management; pharmacist review, clinical pharmacist in HTX care team [56,57,58,59] |
| Healthcare team/system- related | Patient–provider relationship [42] | lack of HTX-specific training; lack of HTX-specific research evidence; lack of HTX-specific training material and protocols; poor physician–patient relationship, lack of continuity in medical practice and availability of the medical team; lack of time for healthcare providers to inform patients [60,61,62] | Fragmented care, access difficulties, poor doctor–patient communication, non-standardized processes [60,61,62] | Team-based care, pharmaceutical care, standardized protocols, simplified appointment scheduling, and shared decision making [60,61,62] |
| Social/economic factors | Education, Ethnicity, Financial status, Social support [42] | high ratio of heart muscle damage leading to HTX is linked to socioeconomic status; high ratio of HTX in vulnerable groups; cultural aspects of illness; poor living conditions; low level of health literacy; culture of empathy and providing support; misbeliefs on HTX overprotection as a barrier to reintegration [8,30,63,64,65,66] | Low income, low health literacy, weak social support, and logistical or cost barriers [8,30,63,64,65,66] | Family/peer support programs, cost reduction (generic and subsidized drugs), a social worker on the team, health literacy intervention [8,30,63,64,65,66] |
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Assabiny, A.; Ocsovszky, Z.; Ehrenberger, B.; Otohal, J.; Papp-Zipernovszky, O.; Merkely, B.; Sax, B.; Purebl, G. The Concept of Psychologically Informed Heart Transplantation Care. J. Clin. Med. 2026, 15, 1592. https://doi.org/10.3390/jcm15041592
Assabiny A, Ocsovszky Z, Ehrenberger B, Otohal J, Papp-Zipernovszky O, Merkely B, Sax B, Purebl G. The Concept of Psychologically Informed Heart Transplantation Care. Journal of Clinical Medicine. 2026; 15(4):1592. https://doi.org/10.3390/jcm15041592
Chicago/Turabian StyleAssabiny, Alexandra, Zsófia Ocsovszky, Blanka Ehrenberger, József Otohal, Orsolya Papp-Zipernovszky, Béla Merkely, Balázs Sax, and György Purebl. 2026. "The Concept of Psychologically Informed Heart Transplantation Care" Journal of Clinical Medicine 15, no. 4: 1592. https://doi.org/10.3390/jcm15041592
APA StyleAssabiny, A., Ocsovszky, Z., Ehrenberger, B., Otohal, J., Papp-Zipernovszky, O., Merkely, B., Sax, B., & Purebl, G. (2026). The Concept of Psychologically Informed Heart Transplantation Care. Journal of Clinical Medicine, 15(4), 1592. https://doi.org/10.3390/jcm15041592

