Non–Heart-Beating Donors: An Inquiry to ICU Nurses in a Belgian University Hospital

• Published in: Transplantation proceedings 2009-03, Vol.41 (2), p.579-581
• Main Authors: Vincent, J.-L, Maetens, Y, Vanderwallen, C, Van Nuffelen, M, Wissing, M, Donckier, V
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Attitude to Death; Belgium; Biological and medical sciences; Brain Death; Critical Illness - mortality; Ethics, Medical; Ethics, Nursing; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Fundamental immunology; Health participants; Hospitals, University; Humans; Intensive Care Units; Life Support Care; Medical sciences; Nursing Staff, Hospital; Patient Education as Topic; Public health. Hygiene; Public health. Hygiene-occupational medicine; Resuscitation Orders; Surgery; Surgery (general aspects). Transplantations, organ and tissue grafts. Graft diseases; Surveys and Questionnaires; Tissue Donors - statistics & numerical data; Tissue, organ and graft immunology
• ISSN: 0041-1345; 1873-2623
• DOI: 10.1016/j.transproceed.2009.01.002

Abstract Demand for organs for transplantation continues to be greater than supply. Non–heart-beating donation (NHBD) has been reintroduced to reverse this trend. We describe the findings of a short questionnaire that determined the attitudes and feelings of nursing staff in a department of intensive care with an established NHBD program. Despite several educational sessions, only 3% of the nurses thought they were adequately informed about NHBD. Thirty-eight percent of nurses were less comfortable with NHBD than with brain death organ donation. NHBD is an ethically controversial area but one that can improve organ availability for transplantation. Adequate education, ongoing audit, and full transparency are needed in units that use NHBD.