Evaluation of Mental Health Blog by Dr. Clare McKeaveney, Research Fellow, School of Nursing and Midwifery- Queen's University Belfast, Northern Ireland/UK.

 

Evaluation of Mental Health Blog by Dr. Clare McKeaveney, Research Fellow, School of Nursing and Midwifery- Queen's University Belfast, Northern Ireland/UK.

Evaluation by Jim Myers


1. Introduction


I have been asked to review a study entitled, "Mental Health ," By Dr Clare McKeaveney, Research Fellow, School of Nursing and Midwifery- Queen's University Belfast, Northern Ireland/UK, for the GET ON TRACK Study Group. This is a very interesting article concerning the effects of one's mental health from kidney transplants and limited information about mental health and chronic kidney disease. It is an excellent, well-written article. It is extremely well organized and documented.

This article notes that a kidney transplant can be a stressful event and explores the mental affects of a kidney transplant and things we can do as transplant patients to make kidney transplant less stressful. The author points out that if the stress begins to overwhelm the patient, he/she should seek professional help.

2. Research Evidence Shows: A Kidney Transplant Can Affect Your Mental Outlook

The article points out how a kidney transplant can affect your mental health:

"People with a kidney transplant are more at risk of psychological problems such as depression and anxiety

• Quality of life in people with a kidney transplant tends to be low."

This sets up the possible methods of dealing with these issues leading to possible solutions.

3. How Am I Doing: Monitoring Your Mental Health

The author suggests monitoring your post-transplant mental health by charting it. She uses WHO-5 Well-Being Scale Always or most of the time Sometimes Never or most of the time:

"I have felt cheerful and in good spirits
I have felt calm and relaxed
I have felt active and vigorous
I woke up feeling fresh and rested
My daily life has been filled with things that interest me."

She suggests:
• If the response is mostly ‘Always or most of the time’: You have good emotional well-being and feel motivated. Keep doing what you are doing to deal with stress;
• If the response is mostly ‘Sometimes’: Your emotional well-being can be improved, and you may find tips in the following section helpful to help you deal with stressful life events.
• If the response is mostly ‘Never or most of the time’: You are distressed. Try to improve the way you deal with stress with tips below. If feelings of sadness or lack of interest continue, you should discuss them with your doctor.
This is a excellent method of evaluating your post-transplant mental health.

https://www.corc.uk.net/outcome-experience-measures/the-world-health-organisation-five-well-being-index-who-5/; https://www.karger.com/Article/Fulltext/376585; https://www.psychcongress.com/saundras-corner/scales-screeners/well-being-index/who-five-well-being-index-who-5

4. What Can I Do to Control the Stress If I Cannot Stop It

The article raises the issue of what we do when we cannot stop the stress by suggesting what we can do to control it. The article suggests we can utilize positive thinking to take better control of our stress.

"Positive coping skills has also been shown to be most effective for kidney transplant patients whereby they are able to handle stressors better. By practicing positive coping skills, you will be in a better position to deal with stressful situations at the same time as maintaining your health and well-being. You can take steps to assess stress, take appropriate action and restore your emotional well-being. You can do this by thinking about how you view stress (step 1), how you can control your reaction (step 2) and how you can change your lifestyle to prevent or improve your coping skills (step 3)."

5. What Can I Do to Chart My Health

The piece suggested charting our efforts to control our post-transplant stress will help to control our stress. Charting includes:

• Step 1 Assessment Step-Change how you think about the stressor:
•
• 2 Action -Ask yourself, is your thought realistic?
•
• Step 3 Restore-Replace a negative thought with a positive thought

6. Steps I Can Take to Improve Mental Health to Control Your Reactions to Stress

"If you cannot change how you think about the stressor, control your reaction using:

• Breathing exercises
• Meditation techniques
• Physical exercise Adapt your lifestyle to help build and develop good coping skills:
• Do not be afraid to ask for help
• Have regular downtime
• Avoid bad habits
• Eat healthier
• Maintain good sleep patterns
“Think of this, not that”

7. How I Can Manage My Mental Stress After Kidney Transplant - Control Techniques

This is the most significant section of the study. Very precise suggestions were made here:

"1. Balance your perspective: It is important to challenge unhelpful or worrying thoughts about your health. You can do this by acknowledging that it can take months to ‘feel normal’ after a kidney transplant. It is also important to remember everyone’s transplant journey is different so don’t compare yourself to other patients. Try to write down any questions or issues you are experiencing related to your emotional or physical health and share them with people you trust such as your family, friends or medical team.


2. Take control of stress: Where possible you should avoid the stressful situation, however that is not always possible. Simple solutions can help to reduce stress. Ask yourself did you have enough time, information and support? If not, create a healthy environment by setting boundaries and maintaining a good work-life balance. Remember don’t keep putting things off either. Just make sure you allow extra time to be prepared!


3. Accept what cannot be changed: There are times you cannot control life events that cause stress. Your kidney transplant can be managed effectively by maintaining a healthy lifestyle and taking your prescribed medications, but new symptoms can still develop. It is important to acknowledge that you may not be able to prevent something like this from happening. In addition, your transplant will not remove health-related stress. By maintaining a positive outlook and sharing your feeling, you can reduce how much stress you experience.  


4. Self-care: Be kind to yourself, you have been through a lot. Take time out to look after yourself. Make healthy choices such as making sleep habits a priority. You might need to speak to your family doctor about other medication to help you feel less stressed, but you can also learn new techniques to manage stress and relax. Techniques can include breathing exercises or yoga. Be patient and set realistic goals. Keep involved in things that bring you pleasure and remember to take things slowly, especially when you are first recovering. Don’t put too much pressure on yourself!


5. Get additional support: You might feel you need practical support after a kidney transplant such as advice on employment, training or benefits. Speak to your kidney transplant team or healthcare professional about where to get local support and other helpful resources. You may feel you need more psychological support. Talking to your specialist nurse, family doctor or another member of your transplant team might help. Your kidney transplant team or family doctor can also advise if you need to speak to a specialist who is trained in assessing and treating psychological problems.  


6. Do something different: Your kidney transplant allows you to regain your independence and control over your life. Why not try out something new? Taking park in meaningful activities and hobbies within your physical abilities will improve your emotional well-being. Think about inspiring others by sharing your story. Your experiences will help raise awareness about kidney disease and organ donation. Connect with others. Try to be more sociable by joining local community or support groups. Consider writing an anonymous letter to your donor or their family. Or, revisit previous goals or an old hobby that brings you joy."

These are inciteful and precise suggestions.

8. Maintenance Steps

The author makes some great suggestions to maintain a stress-free life:

Keep active
• Use relaxation techniques such as yoga
• Disconnect from technology
• Maintain a positive outlook
• Keep a healthy diet
• Improve your sleeping habits
• Seek support from friends, family or trusted support groups."

Excellent suggestions!

7. My Goals in Managing Mental Stress After Kidney Transplant

The author does a very good job of discussing what our goals should be in maintaining good mental health after a kidney transplant.

Evaluating our mental health goals requires:

"Specific: what you want to achieve and the steps you will take to do it. What, when and why am I doing this goal? I would like to start exercising to feel better about myself after my transplant recovery is over.

Measurable: how you will know when you achieve your goal. How will I track my progress? I will start walking to work instead of driving.  

Attainable: that your goal is possible How will I meet my goal? I will buy new running shoes for walking to work.

Realistic: that your goal is appropriate for you. Are you confident you can achieve this goal? My transplant healthcare professional is happy for me to start walking as exercise therefore I am confident I can achieve this goal.

Time-based: when you plan to reach your goal. When do you expect to achieve this goal? I will do this for two weeks and re-evaluate how I feel."

8. Conclusion

This is an excellent paper on the mental stress that comes with a kidney transplant and how to deal with it. The ideas in this study are original and thoughtful. From setting goals to charting our progress, this is a very interesting article.

• Relevance of Content
The content here is entirely relevant and fresh. This is an important topic for any kidney transplant patient.

• Usefulness of Content
The content is extremely useful. The period of adjustments statements give hope to the initially concerned kidney transplant patient.

• Clarity of Content
The content here is crystal clear and simple, comprehensivable explanations of a difficult topic are given here.

• Applicability of Information
The information is very applicable to every kidney transplant patient.

My overall assessment is this is a meaningful article with essential information for kidney transplant patients.