Organ donation--a review of the literature

Organ harvesting is part of the practice of many perioperative nurses in general hospitals. It is difficult to treat as just another case because the outcome is so different to other surgery, and brings a much more intense level of emotional involvement. Add to this the fact that organ harvesting often takes place outside 'normal' working hours, and that the staff providing facilities for donation are left with the body and the mess, it is evident that both the issue and the perioperative nurse's part in this practice require some special attention. This is the first of three excellent articles by Janet Bothamley, based on her wide ranging review of the literature covering theatre nurses' perceptions of organ retrieval. Consent and patients' rights, and brain stem death, will be dealt with in the subsequent articles.