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Identifying and understanding the health-related quality of life outcomes experienced by solid organ transplant recipients: a systematic review of qualitative research

Lookup NU author(s): Ben RimmerORCiD, Sarah Dickson, Professor Dawn CraigORCiD, Professor Linda SharpORCiD, Professor Catherine ExleyORCiD

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This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0).

Abstract

Purpose: This review aimed to identify and understand the health-related quality of life (HRQoL) outcomes experienced post-transplant by solid organ transplant recipients. Methods: We systematically searched MEDLINE, Embase, CINAHL, PsycINFO, and Scopus from inception to 17th May 2024. Search hits were independently screened, then study and sample characteristics were extracted from eligible papers, and transparency of reporting was appraised. A best fit framework synthesis was conducted to identify and map HRQoL outcomes to nine pre-defined HRQoL dimensions, and synthesise cross-cutting patterns in peoples’ HRQoL experiences across studies. Results: We identified 40 papers reporting 39 qualitative studies of HRQoL in transplant recipients (kidney n = 14 studies, liver n = 10, heart n = 8, lung n = 3, mixed organs n = 4). Sample diversity (e.g. ethnicity, rurality) was lacking, or poorly reported, within and across included studies. Transparency of reporting was adequate. We identified 93 HRQoL outcomes; these could all be mapped to the nine HRQoL dimensions. The most commonly reported dimensions were emotional (n = 40 papers), social (n = 37), and role functioning (n = 35). Across solid organs, there were many common outcomes, encompassing positive and negative emotional impact, complex social and role challenges, and wide-ranging symptom distress.ConclusionsSolid organ transplant recipients experience extensive positive and negative HRQoL outcomes across every aspect of life, indicating where support may be required following transplantation. These findings inform a comprehensive and consolidated framework of the HRQoL outcomes experienced by transplant recipients. This provides valuable insights for the future development of transplant-specific patient-reported outcome measures, to ensure they comprehensively capture the HRQoL outcomes that are relevant to transplant recipients.

Publication metadata

Author(s): Rimmer B, Dickson S, Russell S, Jenkins R, Craig D, Sharp L, Exley C

Publication type: Article

Publication status: Published

Journal: Journal of Patient-Reported Outcomes

Year: 2026

Pages: Epub ahead of print

Online publication date: 24/07/2026

Acceptance date: 17/07/2026

Date deposited: 09/09/2026

ISSN (electronic): 2509-8020

Publisher: Springer Nature

URL: https://doi.org/10.1186/s41687-026-01158-2

DOI: 10.1186/s41687-026-01158-2

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