Running head: ORGAN DONATION 1

Organ Donation

Lauren Neff

Brigham Young University Idaho

NURS 422

Linda Ward, Rodney Sanders

May 4th, 2017

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Organ Donation

Organ donation is a complex process that requires collaboration with a multitude of

health care professionals. It requires organ matching and meeting varying criteria based on

specific organs being donated. This paper will focus on the nurses role with the donation

process, patient teaching, goals and outcomes, and personal beliefs.

Nurses Role

Nurses play a critical role in the organ donation process. One of these roles includes

referring your potential donors (Tamburri, 2006). To be able to do this, nurses need a good

understanding of the patients current condition so they can be involved in deciding whether or

not they meet the requirements. Some of the basic qualifications include being free from active

cancer, systemic infection, HIV, etc. (U., n.d.). This complex system requires collaboration with

organizations such as the Organ Procurement Organization (OPO) and the hospitals transplant

team. These are specialized teams that manage matching organs from patients that have died

with individuals awaiting organ transplants (U., n.d.).

Patient advocacy is highly valued in the nursing field. It is our duty to fulfill our patients

wishes. Organ donation is a very person decision that needs to be respected and honored. One

thing mentioned in the article, The Role of Critical Care Nurses in the Organ Donation

Breakthrough Collaboration states, Uphold a familys right to be offered the option of organ

donation. Promote compassionate communication between the healthcare team and patients

families. (Tamburri, 2006). No matter the situation, nurses need to be that compassionate

source to patients and families when trials come their way. Organ donation is no exception.

It is also the nurses role to be educated about the pros and cons of organ donation. There

are a number of benefits that come from it and sharing the word to fellow employees, patients,
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families, and communities can save more lives. With this being said, there are also issues that

can arise for the recipient of the organ donation. It is the nurses responsibility to know the

complications and to educate (Tamburri, 2006).

Patient Teaching

As stated earlier, there are a lot of pros and cons with organ donation. Providing teaching

is an important role nurses have in the health care system and should not be taken lightly.

Education should also be tailored to what side of the process the patient lies on, whether they be

a donor or receiver.

If the patient is a potential donor, it would be appropriate for them to understand the

process of matching. There are different organization that host waiting lists. One of these

foundations is called the United Network for Organ Sharing. The UNOS gives a great synopsis

of the steps taken. It begins with the patients organ viability for donation. UNOS (or any other

transplant organization) then generates a list of potential recipients. The transplant center is then

notified of an available organ which is then passed through the transplant team. They consider

the organ for the patient. It is at this point where the organ is either accepted or declined. If the

organ isnt accepted, the organization or transplant team will search for another patient to receive

the donation (Frequently, n.d.). When the donor is not a living person, death has to be

pronounced in order to harvest. Once pronounced dead (or brain dead), the process speeds up to

ensure that the organ(s) functions are preserved as well as possible before being transplanted

(National, 2014). It should also be noted that the donor will not have changes in their

appearance and open-casket funerals are still an option (C., 2017).

Organ rejection is a huge part of this education. Rejections occurs when the transplant

recipients immune system attacks the transplanted organ or tissue. This is caused by the bodies
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natural defense against antigens (the new foreign organ(s)). To avoid this complication,

recipients are matched with the the organ and are given immunosuppressants. The goal is for

these precautions to prevent the body from attacking the new foreign organ. One exception is

cornea transplants which rarely reject due to the absent blood supply. Some things to look out

for after transplantation include feeling ill or uneasy, flu-like symptoms, decrease in the organs

function, and pain or swelling in the area of the organ. In order to tell if the organ has been

rejected or not, tests need to be performed including, biopsy, CT scans, x-rays, ultrasounds, etc.

(Martin, 2015).

Goals and Outcomes

The major goals and outcomes of organ donation is for the recipients body to accept the

new organ and, as a result, live a much higher quality of life. For those receiving the transplant,

it is critical that there is monitoring for signs of rejection. The goal is make sure the transplanted

organ is working properly as well as to suppress the patients immune response. If there are

signs of rejections, more immunosuppressants may be prescribed or dosages may change.

Single episodes rarely lead to organ failure. Chronic episodes are much more serious and lead to

transplant failure. Unfortunately, this type of rejection cannot be treated effectively with

medications (Martin, 2015).

Another goal is to avoid other complications unrelated to organ rejection. These may

include certain cancers, infection, loss of function in the transplanted organ, and side effects of

the medications prescribed (Martin, 2015). Avoiding infection should be one of the main goals

during treatment. Careful monitoring should be in place due to the suppressed immune system.

The body is under a unique circumstance where the usually infection fighters are being
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suppressed in order for the body to accept the new foreign antigen (the new transplanted organ).

It can be a difficult balance.

Personal Beliefs

I personally believe that organ donation is a medical advancement benefiting the lives of

so many. I believe it is a medical practice that needs to continue to flourish and develop to

promote optimal organ accessibility.

Some arguments presented may entail the risk associated with the procedure and organ

rejection. My personal opinion is that the decision is up to the patient and their family. If they

find that their benefits outweigh the risks, then it is appropriate. As long as the background

matching check has been done I think its a great option for patients in such a desperate situation.

Patients who undergo this procedure will also require continuous check-ups their entire lives and

will be taking heaps of expensive immunosuppressants in order the sustain the transplant. This

is a huge task at hand and, again, as long as the patient comprehends and agrees to the treatments

then I believe it is a great option.

I believe that choosing to donate is a very selfless way to help those in needs. Whether

the patient is living donor or deceased, it is a unique way to serve those in need around you. I

found it interesting to learn about some of the statistics related to organ donation. As of today,

95% of the United States population support organ donation but of those only 48% are actually

signed up as potential donors. As a future nurse I have decided to use this knowledge to teach

and promote signing up as a donor. There are currently 119,00 people of the national transplant

waiting list and of those 22 people die each day due to their failing organ. Every 10 minutes

another person is added to the waiting list. The supply and demand is becoming more and more

disproportioned and recruiting as many organ donors as we can will help neutralize this
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unbalanced supply and demand (U., n.d.). Organ donation is a critical medical treatment that

needs to continue to grow and advance.

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References

C. (2017). Donation Process. Retrieved May 15, 2017, from

https://www.core.org/understanding-donation/donation-process/

Frequently asked questions | UNOS. (n.d.). Retrieved May 15, 2017, from

https://www.unos.org/transplantation/faqs/

Martin, L. J. (2015, April 30). Transplant rejection. Retrieved May 15, 2017, from

https://medlineplus.gov/ency/article/000815.htm

National Protocol for Donation and Cardiac Death. (2014). Retrieved May 15, 2017, from

http://www.donatelife.gov.au/national-protocol-donation-and-cardiac-death

Tamburri, L. M. (2006, April 01). The Role of Critical Care Nurses in the Organ Donation

Breakthrough Collaborative. Retrieved from

http://ccn.aacnjournals.org/content/26/2/20.short

U. (n.d.). Organ Donation FAQs. Retrieved from https://www.organdonor.gov/about/facts-

terms/donation-faqs.html