TY - JOUR AU - Ensminger, Stephan AU - Brocks, Yvonne AU - Stock Gissendanner, Scott AU - Gummert, Jan AU - Tigges-Limmer, Katharina PY - 2019 DA - 2019/03/05 TI - The Contribution of Psychotherapists to Patient Care in Multidisciplinary Heart Transplantation Care Teams JO - OBM Transplantation SP - 056 VL - 03 IS - 01 AB - Background: The participation of mental health professionals in multidisciplinary care teams for heart transplantation has advanced to international standard practice. The contribution of mental health interventions to patient outcomes in this setting have not been the subject of systematic study. Methods: This paper uses a case study for an initial exploration of how psychotherapists contribute to multidisciplinary decisionmaking and care in transplant teams before, during, and after transplantation. The case is a 19-year-old woman with anorexia nervosa who underwent heart transplant at a large transplantation center in Germany. She received psychotherapeutic interventions intended to lower the risk of non-adherence. Results: This first reported case of heart transplant in a patient with anorexia nervosa also documents psychotherapeutic interventions that were favorable for sustainable weight-gain in this challenging case and how the multidisciplinary environment enabled their development and implementation. We provide details on the contribution of the psychologist in the case, which included hypnotherapy interventions and adjustments in routine nursing practices. Conclusion: This paper explores specific ways in which mental health professionals can improve patient outcomes in organ transplantation. In order to collect and systematize clinical knowledge of psychological support strategies and interventions for persons with mental health issues, additional studies with multiple centers, multiple cases and a range of mental health disorders are needed. SN - 2577-5820 UR - https://doi.org/10.21926/obm.transplant.1901056 DO - 10.21926/obm.transplant.1901056 ID - Ensminger2019 ER -