NURSES' ATTTITUDE TOWARDS ORGAN DONATION

[What are the critical care nurses attitudes towards organ donors and recipients?]

by

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

I would like to thank my supervisor/professor and colleagues who helped me in different part of this dissertation and without their efforts this would not have been possible.

ABSTRACT

This dissertation is based on the topic of “What are the critical care nurses attitudes towards organ donors and recipients?” The first chapter provides an introduction to the topic including the purpose and significance of the study. The second chapter presents a review of relevant literature, highlighting the previous research carried out in this field. The third chapter covers the methodology for this study. In this study a phenomenonlogical research approach is used. The results and analysis are presented in the fourth chapter. The fifth chapter covers the discussion section. The sixth chapter concludes the dissertation, providing implications and useful recommendations for further research.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS2

ABSTRACT3

CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION5

CHAPTER TWO: LITERATURE REVIEW9

CHAPTER THREE: METHODOLOGY AND METHODS32

CHAPTER FOUR: RESULTS AND ANALYSIS69

CHAPTER FIVE: DISCUSSION79

CHAPTER SIX: CONCLUSIONS99

REFERENCES108

CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION

Background

Transplantation of living human organs and tissue has become an increasingly significant life-altering and life-saving therapy for thousands of people in the last several decades. The supply and demand for organs and tissues continues to be disproportionate and the equitable distribution of this scarce resource remains an ethical issue. In 2004, there are more than 86,000 candidates for transplantation on the national waiting list, and more than 8,200 are from London. Every day, about 70 individuals receive an organ transplant, but 16 die waiting because there are not enough organs available. Many patients wait years for a suitable organ. There are complex reasons for the shortage of organs. Some of the issues being addressed though public awareness and education are:

Knowledge and attitudes of health professionals

Processes for donor identification

Timing of the request for organ donation

Refusal of family members to consent to donation

Cultural considerations that influence the willingness to donate. (Molzahn, Starzomski & McCormick, 2003).

Transplants can enrich, prolong and save lives. Efforts across the nation are being spearheaded by public and private groups as well as the legislature to increase the availability of organs and tissues for donation. In 2004, the London State Legislature introduced legislation that would place in statute the establishment of a state organ and tissue donor registry (A.11301-A/S.7058-A). The London State Organ and Tissue Donor Registry currently operated by the Departments of Motor Vehicle and Health facilitates the process of collecting the names of individuals who have registered their desire to donate organs and tissue. This legislation would place London among the 20 other states who already have operational donor registries.

Registered professional nurses are often the primary care givers for patients approaching the final stage of life. It is the nurse who facilitates the coping of the patients and their families. Traditionally, professional nurses have helped facilitate the process for organ and/or tissue donation. Unfortunately, barriers have occurred that interfere with the professional nurse's ability to serve as an advocate for organ and tissue donation and to appropriately provide supportive end-of-life ...