Attitudes towards multi-organ donation among intensive care unit nurses in transplant hospitals

"Time and life is fragile": An integrative review of nurses' experiences after patient death in adult critical care

INTRODUCTION

Providing bereavement support and care to families is an aspect of critical care nursing practice that can be rewarding, yet emotionally and psychologically challenging. Whilst significant research has focused on end-of-life care in critical care, less is known about nurses' experiences after patient death.

AIM

The aim of this study was to synthesise research evidence on the experience of registered nurses after patient death in adult critical care.

DESIGN

A structured integrative review of the empirical literature was undertaken. A combination of keywords, synonyms, and Medical Subject Headings were used across the Cumulative Index Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL) Complete, Ovid Medline, PsycInfo, Embase, and Emcare databases. Records were independently assessed against inclusion and exclusion criteria. A process of forward and backward chaining was used to identify additional papers. All papers were assessed for quality. Narrative synthesis was used to analyse and present the findings.

RESULTS

From the 4643 records eligible for screening, 36 papers reporting 35 studies were included in this review, representing the voices of 1687 nurses from more than 20 countries. Narrative synthesis revealed three themes: (i) postmortem care, which encompassed demonstrating respect and dignity for the deceased, preparation of the deceased, and the concurrent death rituals performed by nurses; (ii) critical care nurses' support of bereaved families, including families of potential organ donors and the system pressures that impeded family support; and (iii) nurses' emotional response to patient death including coping mechanisms.

CONCLUSIONS

Whilst a focus on the provision of high-quality end-of-life care should always remain a priority in critical care nursing, recognising the importance of after-death care for the patient, family and self is equally important. Acknowledging their experience, access to formal education and experiential learning and formal and informal supports to aid self-care are imperative.

The Relationship of Intensive Care Nurses' Attitudes Towards Organ Donation With Their Attitudes Towards Euthanasia and Moral Sensitivity

Determination of the relationship between nurses' attitudes towards issues, such as end-of-life care that is specific to intensive care, euthanasia, and organ donation and their moral sensitivity levels is one of the important points for working out ethical problems encountered in intensive care units and increasing the quality of care. This study was conducted to determine the relationship between the attitudes of intensive care nurses towards organ donation, euthanasia, and terminal patients and their moral sensitivity. The study was completed with 175 nurses who agreed to participate in the study. Informed consent of the participants was obtained. While nurses' attitudes towards euthanasia, death, and caring for the dying patient did not correlate with their moral sensitivities, their attitudes towards organ donation did.

Nurses' Perspectives and Experiences Regarding Organ Transplantation in Turkey: A Qualitative Study

As professionals, nurses are often required to provide care for patients from different cultural and religious backgrounds during an organ transplantation process. It is therefore important to understand the views and experiences of nurses regarding the organ transplantation process. The aim of this study was to explore nurses' perspectives and experiences in providing care to donors and transplant recipients. In this descriptive qualitative study, semistructured in-depth interviews were conducted with 17 nurses in Turkey. The qualitative interviews were analyzed using thematic analysis. At the end of the study, four themes were represented: nurses' characteristics, nurses' roles and responsibilities, nurses' views on organ transplantation, and nurses' experiences with providing care. The results of the study revealed that nurses have positive and negative attitudes about organ transplantation, and they need education on this topic. In addition, considering the cultural factors and religious beliefs that prevent organ donation, cooperation between health professionals and religious authorities is necessary. Furthermore, support systems should be developed to reduce the problems that nurses face. The relevant authorities should collaborate to increase the number of donors by informing the public that the religious view is favorable to organ donation.