Abstract
Introduction / Background: Most people understand the term death. However, in the world of organ donation, death can have different meanings. Donation after brain death (DBD) is when there is irreversible cessation of all brain activity due to lack of blood and/or oxygenation. The other form is donation after circulatory death (DCD) in which the patient has not deteriorated to brain death but there still may be an opportunity for families to opt for organ donation. Research has shown that healthcare providers working in intensive care units (ICUs) are not always at ease with DBD and even more uncomfortable with DCD. Health care providers struggle with a lack of knowledge, confusion about professional roles, deficiencies in collaboration, and even doubts about the legality of the process. This results in misunderstandings and can raise barriers between healthcare providers, even to the point of questioning the organ donation process. The aim of this study is to gain insight on the perceptions and knowledge of intensive care healthcare providers regarding DBD and DCD before and after an educational intervention.
Methods / Intervention Detail: Participants will be recruited within the medicine intensive care unit (MICU) in a large tertiary academic health care system across a range of shifts with a broad range of professional background, experience, demographics, and organ donation knowledge
Perceptions & knowledge of organ donation will be assessed pre and post an educational program guided by United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS) resources.
Results: This descriptive study will report participants’ demographics along with paired t tests of pre & post educational program results.
Discussion: Healthcare professionals are vital for the implementation of DBD and DCD, and their attitudes can influence their participation in the process. Satisfaction with end-of-life care can also impact physicians’ and nurses’ well-being after the patient’s death. If tensions are not addressed, clinicians could develop moral distress leading to burnout.
Conclusion: Clinicians have reported an increase in stress when they are implementing treatments in preparation for organ donation especially when DCD is planned. A better understanding of healthcare workers knowledge and perception of donation will guide interventions to impact end of life care and healthcare workers comfort with the organ donation process.
Notes
Health care providers struggle with a lack of knowledge, confusion about professional roles, deficiencies in collaboration, and even doubts about the legality of the organ donation process.
Perceptions & knowledge of organ donation will be assessed pre and post an educational program guided by United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS) resources in a tertiary care medical intensive care unit. Consent of participants will by implied by voluntary completion of the online survey.
Sigma Membership
Delta Psi at-Large
Type
Poster
Format Type
Text-based Document
Study Design/Type
Descriptive/Correlational
Research Approach
Other
Keywords:
Acute Care, Hospice, Palliative Care, End-of-Life, Academic-clinical Partnership, Clinical Practice, Workplace Culture, Healthcare Provider Perceptions, Healthcare Provider Attitudes Toward Organ Donation, Organ Donation, Donation After Brain Death, DBD, Donation After Circulatory Death, DCD
Recommended Citation
Rogers, Sandra; Judd, Brooke; and Slugantz, Mollie, "Tree of Life" (2025). Biennial Convention (CONV). 66.
https://www.sigmarepository.org/convention/2025/posters_2025/66
Conference Name
48th Biennial Convention
Conference Host
Sigma Theta Tau International
Conference Location
Indianapolis, Indiana, USA
Conference Year
2025
Rights Holder
All rights reserved by the author(s) and/or publisher(s) listed in this item record unless relinquished in whole or part by a rights notation or a Creative Commons License present in this item record. All permission requests should be directed accordingly and not to the Sigma Repository. All submitting authors or publishers have affirmed that when using material in their work where they do not own copyright, they have obtained permission of the copyright holder prior to submission and the rights holder has been acknowledged as necessary.
Review Type
Abstract Review Only: Reviewed by Event Host
Acquisition
Proxy-submission
Date of Issue
2025-12-08
Tree of Life
Indianapolis, Indiana, USA
Introduction / Background: Most people understand the term death. However, in the world of organ donation, death can have different meanings. Donation after brain death (DBD) is when there is irreversible cessation of all brain activity due to lack of blood and/or oxygenation. The other form is donation after circulatory death (DCD) in which the patient has not deteriorated to brain death but there still may be an opportunity for families to opt for organ donation. Research has shown that healthcare providers working in intensive care units (ICUs) are not always at ease with DBD and even more uncomfortable with DCD. Health care providers struggle with a lack of knowledge, confusion about professional roles, deficiencies in collaboration, and even doubts about the legality of the process. This results in misunderstandings and can raise barriers between healthcare providers, even to the point of questioning the organ donation process. The aim of this study is to gain insight on the perceptions and knowledge of intensive care healthcare providers regarding DBD and DCD before and after an educational intervention.
Methods / Intervention Detail: Participants will be recruited within the medicine intensive care unit (MICU) in a large tertiary academic health care system across a range of shifts with a broad range of professional background, experience, demographics, and organ donation knowledge
Perceptions & knowledge of organ donation will be assessed pre and post an educational program guided by United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS) resources.
Results: This descriptive study will report participants’ demographics along with paired t tests of pre & post educational program results.
Discussion: Healthcare professionals are vital for the implementation of DBD and DCD, and their attitudes can influence their participation in the process. Satisfaction with end-of-life care can also impact physicians’ and nurses’ well-being after the patient’s death. If tensions are not addressed, clinicians could develop moral distress leading to burnout.
Conclusion: Clinicians have reported an increase in stress when they are implementing treatments in preparation for organ donation especially when DCD is planned. A better understanding of healthcare workers knowledge and perception of donation will guide interventions to impact end of life care and healthcare workers comfort with the organ donation process.
Description
References:
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