The Experience of the Health Care Team Members Involved in Facial Transplant Surgery and Patient Care: A Dissertation

Abstract

The attitudes and experiences of the health care team members involved in facial transplant surgery and patient care were explored in this study, which utilized a qualitative descriptive method. The Specific Aims of the study and the interview questions were guided by “Moore’s Ethical Criteria for Surgical Innovation.” Overall, the participants believed that the risk-benefit ratio of facial transplantation favored proceeding with the procedure in the clinical scenarios with which they had been exposed. The participant’s experience was challenging and rewarding, and they expressed personal fulfillment from the opportunity to be involved in the transformation of another human being’s life. Moreover, the entire effort exhibited highly effective team work which displayed esprit de corps, was guided by superior leadership, and illuminated the importance of the clinical, intellectual, and historical environment of the institution where the procedures took place. These components represent a “surgical innovation cluster,” a proposed framework for guiding surgical innovative efforts which represent major paradigmatic shifts in both scientific effort and social philosophy.