Consumer Perceptions of the German Food-Based Dietary Guidelines and the Complementary Potential of AI-Based Nutrition Tools.

Adaptation to lifestyle changes, medication regimens, and emotional distress are among the various physical and psychological challenges faced by heart transplant (HTX) recipients (). Compared with the general population, heart transplant recipients exhibited substantially higher prevalence rates of depression (21.6% vs. 12.9%), anxiety (11.1% vs. 7.3%), and post-traumatic stress disorder (13.5% vs. 3.9%) (). Beyond these psychiatric disorders, qualitative studies have identified several psychologically significant experiences across the heart transplantation journey. Experiences in the intensive care unit may be profoundly distressing, including pain, delirium, hallucinations and social isolation (). Furthermore, kinesiophobia may negatively affect postoperative physical rehabilitation (), while donor and donation images (DDIs)—defined as “all (magical and/or rational) thoughts and feelings that an organ recipient has associated with the donor or the donated organ itself"—may be associated with feelings of guilt and difficulties in accepting the transplanted organ (). As a relevant psychosocial factor, social support contributes to post-transplant adherence, overall well-being, and prevention of substance use relapse (, ). It is also associated with better outcomes during the pretransplantation wait, such as longer survival and less reliance on mechanical circulatory support (). As a multifaceted construct, social support encompasses emotional, instrumental, and informational support provided by various sources, including family, friends, peers, the community, and other personal networks (). Measuring social support is challenging and requires several methodologies, potentially yielding inconsistent results (). Therefore, transplantation guidelines and consensus documents do not accurately define social support (, ). Existing psychosocial evaluations before transplantation systematically assess the availability, stability, and adequacy of available support resources and provide caregivers with essential information regarding the patient's treatment and care needs (). In addition to the source of support, its timing might be also decisive during HTX. Despite the uniqueness of the HTX experience, the peer dimension of social support is relatively understudied. Only peers can understand the transplantation experience, which forms a crucial aspect of their emotional support (). Peer information provision can be as important as that provided by the medical personnel; the latter is essential for successful post-transplant outcomes. However, information gaps remain major challenges for many patients, necessitating further education and innovative support networks (–).