How can nurses support relatives of a dying patient with the organ donation option?

The UK Department of Health in 2008 established the Organ Donation Taskforce to improve organ donation within the UK. Knowing how nurses can best support families during this time is important to maintain best practice.

The purpose of the literature review was to summarise evidence related to nursing support for a dying patient's family with the option of organ donation.

The (a) Allied Medical Education Database (AMED), (b) British Nursing Index (BNI), (c) Cochrane Library, (d) Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL), (e) NHS Evidence, and (f) PubMed were searched during January to May 2013 using the key words: organ donation, nurse, support, organ donor, family. A total of 23 articles were critiqued to synthesise available evidence over 25 years.

Primary sources addressing deceased organ donors, their families and nurses, written in English, in peer reviewed journals over the last 25 years and conducted internationally were included. Articles related to consent, attitudes towards donation and physicians' views were excluded.

Two major themes emerged: (a) clarity of communication and understanding of information and (b) the nurse's competency.

This study adds to the topic by addressing support needed by a family. Correct information given to a family clearly, sensitively and in a professional manner can accommodate relatives' understanding why their loved one is in a critical condition, which can help them accept death and therefore consider the option of organ donation. Nurses must acquire through regular training specific skills and knowledge in order to practice efficiently and adhere to the needs of a dying patient's family.

By incorporating organ donation as a norm in end-of-life care, bereavement needs can be addressed in addition to improving organ donation rates.