Assisting professionals in approaching families for donation

This article identifies potential barriers that nurses and other health care professionals face when approaching families to offer the option of organ and tissue donation. Issues that are examined include personal feelings regarding dying, death, and organ donation; unclear roles for nurses and other health care personnel; nonsupportive institutions or physicians; difficulty in explaining brain death to families; fear of intruding during grief; lack of knowledge; and the need for support. Strategies are suggested to help nurses and other professionals to overcome these obstacles.