DNP Projects
Date of Award
7-28-2026
Document Type
Graduate Paper
Degree Name
Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP)
Department
Nursing
Subject Categories
Nursing
Abstract
Background: Caregivers of post-lung transplant recipients play a critical role in postoperative recovery, as patients require continuous support during the first three months after transplant. Despite this responsibility, caregivers frequently experience burden, stress, and challenges adapting to the complex demands of the caregiving role.
Aim: To evaluate the feasibility and preliminary outcomes of a tailored caregiver education and support guide for caregivers of lung transplant recipients.
Local Problem: Within the local transplant program, caregiver education primarily relied on verbal instruction with limited caregiver-specific take-home resources.
Methods: This quality improvement project used a two-group pretest–posttest design to evaluate the implementation of a Caregiver’s Guide to Lung Transplant. Measures included the Zarit Caregiver Burden Scale (ZCBS-12 and ZCBS-22), Transplant Education Assessment, and Caregiver Demographic Survey. Caregivers were assigned to either a Standard Education group or an Education with Guide group. All caregivers received standard transplant education; the intervention group additionally received the caregiver guide. Outcomes were assessed during the early postoperative period (POD 1–3) and at one-month follow-up.
Intervention: The Caregiver’s Guide to Lung Transplant was developed as a supplemental educational resource addressing caregiver self-care, inpatient expectations, home management,and emergency contacts.
Results: Eight caregivers participated (n = 4 per group). Both groups demonstrated reductions in several caregiver burden domains during the first month post-transplant, with reductions across emotional, financial, and relationship domains. Caregiver knowledge increased in the Standard Education group and remained stable in the Education with Guide group, likely reflecting higher baseline knowledge and a ceiling effect. Variability in knowledge decreased in both groups.
Conclusion: The Caregiver’s Guide to Lung Transplant was feasible to implement within existing clinical workflows and was well integrated into standard caregiver education. Although the guide did not demonstrate greater short-term improvements in caregiver burden or knowledge compared with standard education alone, it may serve as a practical caregiver resource during the transition from hospital to home. Given the small sample size, further evaluation with larger samples and longer follow-up periods is warranted.
Keywords: lung transplantation, caregivers, burden, education, quality of life
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 International License.
Recommended Citation
Aller, Megan, "Bridging the Gap: Development and Implementation of a Caregiver Educational Guide for Post-Lung Transplant Caregivers" (2026). DNP Projects. 23.
https://digitalcommons.csbsju.edu/nursing_dnp/23