Trauma and tribulation: the experiences and attitudes of operating room nurses working with organ donors

Abstract

The concerns of these vital members of the organ procurement team should be heeded and actions taken to reduce their distress and improve their attitudes towards donation.

Australian perioperative nurses’ experiences of assisting in multi-organ procurement surgery: A grounded theory study

“…Participants disclosed concealing and withholding their understanding and levels of knowledge about the procurement surgical procedure, the concept of brain death or the process of DCD. Similar findings were also substantiated within other perioperative research studies internationally (Regehr et al, 2004;Wang and Lin, 2009).…”

“…During these situations nurses reported that they could not find meaning from their participation. Although, the importance of providing post mortem care has been documented by several authors as an important aspect for the perioperative nurse (Carter-Gentry and McCurren, 2004;Page, 1996;Regehr et al, 2004;Wang and Lin, 2009;Wolf, 1991) there is no illustrative qualitative evidence within the literature of what hampered this process. This study therefore described factors which hampered this process within the theatre context.…”

“…Previous international research has suggested that perioperative nurses report participating in these procedures as highly stressful, with effects of personal distress, emotive feelings, strained relationships with visiting surgical teams and negative attitudes to organ donation as a result of their participation (CarterGentry and McCurren, 2004;Lloyd-Jones, 1996;Page, 1996;Regehr et al, 2004;Wang and Lin, 2009;Wolf, 1991). Although the research literature has strongly emphasised that these surgical procedures initiated difficult emotive reactions for the nurses involved, there is no consensus on what should be done to assist this group of health professionals (Carter-Gentry and McCurren, 2004;Kent, 2004;Lloyd-Jones, 1996;Page, 1996;Regehr et al, 2004;Wang and Lin, 2009;Wolf, 1991). Whilst the existing research provides a descriptive presentation of the various issues which impact on the perioperative nurse's role there was a relative lack of conceptual consideration for the social, psychological processes and interactions of perioperative nurse's participatory experiences.…”

Enforcement of presumed-consent policy and willingness to donate organs as identified in the European Union Survey: The role of legislation in reinforcing ideology in pluralistic societies

“…In 2007, the results of an international survey reported a much higher rate of unwillingness to donate and negative attitudes toward organ donation at the end of life among well-educated university professionals [25,26]. The findings of several studies published between 2004 and 2008 also confirm the same trend of an inverse relationship between the depth of information or knowledge about medical practices and processes involved in removing organs at the end of life and the attitudes toward organ donation [27][28][29][30]. In a 2005 Gallup poll supported by the US Department of Health and Human Services, most Americans who participated in the survey indicated that they are opposed or strongly opposed to presumed consent for organ donation [31].…”

Cardio-pulmonary resuscitation of brain-dead organ donors: a literature review and suggestions for practice

“…Professionals now have to take care of an organ donor. This is known to cause a significant moral conflict for professionals and can induce psychological suffering [33,34]. For similar reasons, OP-CPR can be psychologically challenging for professionals.…”