A randomized evaluation of quality-of-life therapy with patients awaiting lung transplantation

Abstract

Research shows that patients wait-listed for lung transplantation have very poor quality of life (QOL). This study evaluated the effectiveness of Quality-of-Life Therapy (QOLT) in improving QOL, mood disturbance and social intimacy in adults awaiting lung transplantation. Thirty-five adults were randomized to QOLT (n = 17) or supportive therapy (ST; n = 18) and received individual, telephone-based treatment sessions. QOL, mood and social intimacy assessments were conducted at baseline and at 1 and 3 months after treatment. Repeated measures analyses of variance showed significant Condition x Time interaction effects for all three primary outcome measures. Subsequent post hoc analyses showed that the two groups did not differ significantly at baseline, but did differ significantly at the 1- and 3-month follow-up assessments. When compared to ST patients, QOLT patients had significantly higher QOL scores at the 1- and 3-month assessments, lower mood disturbance scores at the 3-month assessment, and higher social intimacy scores at the 1-month assessment. Results indicate that a patient's QOL, mood state and relationship with the primary caregiver can be positively impacted by a brief psychological intervention prior to lung transplantation.