Nurses' responses to organ procurement from nonheartbeating cadaver donors

Area of Science:

• Nursing
• Organ Donation
• Bioethics

Background:

• Brain-dead donors (heartbeating cadaver donors) are established sources for organ transplantation.
• Non-heartbeating cadaver donors, arising from decisions to discontinue life support, are being considered as an additional organ source.
• Understanding nurses' perspectives on caring for non-heartbeating donors is crucial for ethical and effective organ procurement.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore registered nurses' responses to caring for non-heartbeating cadaver organ donors.
• To describe nurses' intentions, reactions, and the meaning derived from caring for these donors.

Main Methods:

• Qualitative study involving interviews with registered nurses.
• Exploration of nurses' experiences and perceptions regarding non-heartbeating cadaver organ donation.

Main Results:

• Nurses reported resentment towards technological intrusion in the dying process.
• Preferences were expressed for brain-dead donors over non-heartbeating donors.
• Concerns included fear of legal issues, potential for pain in non-heartbeating donors, withdrawing life support, resource allocation, and witnessing family distress.

Conclusions:

• Nurses' experiences with non-heartbeating cadaver donors involve complex ethical and emotional challenges.
• Addressing nurses' concerns is vital for successful implementation of non-heartbeating organ donation protocols.
• Further research should focus on supporting nursing staff in these sensitive care situations.