Evaluation of the Educational Needs of Organ Donors After Transplantation Surgery

This study involved individuals (donors) who underwent transplant surgery and evaluated their educational requirements for meeting self-care needs in the postdischarge period.

This descriptive study consisted of 73 donors who underwent surgery for organ donation in the Şişli Florence Nightingale Training and Research Hospital in Istanbul and who were intended to be discharged after the organ donation. Data were collected using the Donor Information Form and the Post-Organ Donation Educational Needs Survey, which were prepared by researchers based on literature.

The mean age of the participants was 38.86 ± 0.78 years. Of them, 54.8% were male, and 38.4% were high school graduates. All the donors (n = 73) received discharge education, and all the education was given by physicians and nurses. But, most donors (63%) stated that the discharge education was not adequate in meeting their needs. Participants received the lowest mean score (2.41 ± 1.27) on the item of "I feel calm and peaceful." The donors' mean total score on the survey was 137.81 ± 25.96 (minimum 76; maximum 170).

The donors' educational needs for postdischarge self-care were high. It is necessary to determine the educational needs of donors to plan the discharge education for self-care management in home care.