Pahari H, Tripathi S, Nundy S. What about the caregivers? Rethinking chronic illness support in the age of transplantation. World J Transplant 2025; 15(3): 104230 [DOI: 10.5500/wjt.v15.i3.104230]
Corresponding Author of This Article
Hirak Pahari, MD, Department of Liver Transplant and Hepatobiliary Surgery, Sir Ganga Ram Hospital, Old Rajinder Nagar, New Delhi 110060, Delhi, India. hirak.pahari@gmail.com
Research Domain of This Article
Transplantation
Article-Type of This Article
Editorial
Open-Access Policy of This Article
This article is an open-access article which was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/
World J Transplant. Sep 18, 2025; 15(3): 104230 Published online Sep 18, 2025. doi: 10.5500/wjt.v15.i3.104230
What about the caregivers? Rethinking chronic illness support in the age of transplantation
Hirak Pahari, Shikhar Tripathi, Samiran Nundy
Hirak Pahari, Department of Liver Transplant and Hepatobiliary Surgery, Sir Ganga Ram Hospital, New Delhi 110060, Delhi, India
Shikhar Tripathi, Samiran Nundy, Department of Surgical Gastroenterology and Liver Transplant, Sir Ganga Ram Hospital, New Delhi 110060, Delhi, India
Author contributions: Pahari H designed the overall concept and outline of the manuscript; Tripathi S contributed to the discussion and design of the manuscript; Pahari H, Tripathi S, and Nundy S contributed to the writing and editing of the manuscript and literature review; all authors thoroughly reviewed and endorsed the final manuscript.
Conflict-of-interest statement: The authors report no relevant conflicts of interest for this article.
Open Access: This article is an open-access article that was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: https://creativecommons.org/Licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Corresponding author: Hirak Pahari, MD, Department of Liver Transplant and Hepatobiliary Surgery, Sir Ganga Ram Hospital, Old Rajinder Nagar, New Delhi 110060, Delhi, India. hirak.pahari@gmail.com
Received: December 16, 2024 Revised: March 2, 2025 Accepted: March 12, 2025 Published online: September 18, 2025 Processing time: 125 Days and 21.9 Hours
Abstract
Caregivers play an essential but often unacknowledged role in healthcare, particularly in chronic illness and post-transplantation scenarios. We highlight the profound emotional, physical, and logistical challenges caregivers face, as illuminated by recent studies, including the work of Virches et al about liver transplantation. Pre-transplant caregiving is marked by heightened stress, depression, and emotional strain, as caregivers navigate the unpredictability of conditions like cirrhosis. While liver transplantation significantly alleviates caregiver burden by stabilizing patient health, caregiving evolves rather than ends, requiring ongoing vigilance for post-transplant care, medication adherence, and lifestyle adjustments. We examine the disproportionate impact of caregiving on the family, due to entrenched cultural and gender norms and highlight how these disparities reinforce systemic neglect. Caregiving, often viewed as a familial duty, carries financial, mental, and physical health costs, perpetuating inequities and marginalization. We argue that caregivers are integral to healthcare outcomes and must be included in systemic frameworks to improve patient care. We also advocate for a paradigm shift from patient-centered to family-centered care, emphasizing caregiver inclusion as a core healthcare priority. Policy recommendations related to financial support, respite care, education, and mental health services should be tailored for caregivers. By addressing caregiver needs, healthcare systems can improve patient outcomes, reduce costs, and foster equity. This editorial underscores that caregivers are not ancillary but central to healthcare’s success. Recognizing and supporting them is both an ethical responsibility and a practical necessity for sustainable healthcare.
Core Tip: Caregivers play an essential but often unacknowledged role in healthcare, particularly in chronic illness and post-transplantation scenarios. We highlight the profound emotional, physical, and logistical challenges caregivers face. We advocate for a paradigm shift from patient-centered to family-centered care, emphasizing caregiver inclusion as a core healthcare priority. This editorial underscores that caregivers are not ancillary but central to healthcare’s success. Recognizing and supporting them is both an ethical responsibility and a practical necessity for sustainable healthcare.
