Art of the Transplant Infectious Diseases Consult: Storytelling and Science

This review sets out to describe the art of the transplant infectious diseases consult for pre-transplant, peri-transplant, and post-transplant patient. Emphasis is placed on recent developments in the assessment of antimicrobial allergies, pre-transplant vaccination, management of donor cultures, and antimicrobial stewardship in transplantation. Strategies for effective verbal communication including motivational interviewing and managing cognitive biases, as well as the importance of written communication in the transplant infectious diseases consult, are also highlighted. While there may be many variations on this art of the consult, they all revolve around transplant patients’ fascinating and rewarding stories.