BACKGROUND: The aim of heart transplantation is prolonged survival and improved quality of life. Chronic pain is a common and distressing symptom after heart transplantation. To our knowledge, there are no person-centred interventions aimed at chronic pain and symptom distress after heart transplantation. The aim was to assess the feasibility and acceptability of systematic, person-centred symptom management support for heart recipients with chronic pain to reduce symptom distress. METHODS: A mixed method prospective pilot feasibility study. A one-group, pre-test/post-test design examined the effect of a symptom management support intervention by means of three consecutive 1-h person-centred supportive conversations about the heart recipient's experienced ability to manage her or his symptoms, self-efficacy and transplant-specific well-being. In total, 13 participants completed the intervention, 7 women and 6 men, with a mean age of 54.38 years. The feasibility was evaluated by semi-structured interviews analysed after the intervention in accordance with phenomenological hermeneutics, while four different instruments were used to quantitatively evaluate pain, self-efficacy, person-centeredness and transplant-specific well-being both before and after the intervention. RESULTS: The intervention constituted a profound experience of being taken seriously based on four themes. The heart recipients experienced both sameness and otherness through reduced asymmetry in the caring encounter
thus, their dignity as persons capable of interpreting their own health was restored. Transplant-specific well-being improved clinically after the intervention, while basic activities of daily life improved significantly (p = 0.014). Although there was no change in self-efficacy, the self-rated experience of being taken seriously improved. There was a moderate relationship between transplant-specific well-being and self-efficacy before the intervention, rho 0.52 (p = 0.066) and a strong relationship after the intervention, rho 0.84 (p = 0.001). CONCLUSION: Three 1-h consecutive person-centred conversations to support symptom management after heart transplantation constitute a relevant, feasible and effective intervention.