I've been a critical care nurse for 6 years, I'm employed at a Southern California hospital that mandates all nurses taking care of poor prognosis patients to report them to one organ donation company. If a nurse fails to comply or report it to that "none profit" organization, even if the family does not want to donate organs, we are written up. Essentially, we are forced to call them regardless and this organization sends a nurse to persuade the next of kin in their vulnerable state. I mean within hours of being declared brain dead.
If the deceased did not make their wishes known about organ donation, nurses should not force another third party to come in and try to sales pitch them. I asked one of the family's what they said, and they said all the good things that come from it, i.e. a tragedy. I think the organ donation organization plays on their vulnerability.
I've done research on this particular organ donation company and the CEO makes well above $500,000. I've seen invoices from other hospitals the amount of money that goes into harvesting an organ and clearly have been disenchanted by the thought of donation. Additionally, this organization threw a thank you party for our unit because we had 6 organ "harvesting" in a month.
I feel there are HIPAA violations of reporting something to a third party without the family's knowledge and mandating it by the hospital. Note, we do not get permission from the family to divulging information about the decease.
Thank you for the info and I really think as an industry, we need to educate the nation. I am a proud organ donor. In fact, if able at the time, I have already signed up to donate my body to a medical college. I really hope that more people will consider OD, because through research and implants, we can do so much.
Thank you. In the post, I was referring to the party described in the original post that was given by the procuring organization as a reward for the six donated organs in a month, not the harvesting process itself. I apologize if that wasn't clear. I very much appreciate input such as this.
The gist of the OP was that the organ donation people should have backed off when the mom said she didn't want organ donation, when really it's not really relevant what the mom wants, it would the patient would have wanted that we are morally obligated to determine.
Specializes in OR, Nursing Professional Development.
The gist of the OP was that the organ donation people should have backed off when the mom said she didn't want organ donation,
Actually, the way I interpret the OP is that the family said no before the OPO was called, meaning someone on the care team might have discussed organ donation with the family. That, to me, is more of an ethical issue than being required to call the OPO.
Actually, the way I interpret the OP is that the family said no before the OPO was called, meaning someone on the care team might have discussed organ donation with the family. That, to me, is more of an ethical issue than being required to call the OPO.
I guess I'm not understanding this because as hospice, we do discuss this with the patient and family. Before imminent death. Most likely at admit depending on the situation and how overwhelmed the family or patient is regarding the dying process and signing up for hospice. It is in the paperwork. There's even a little checkbox.
If I were working acute and a patient wanted to ask me questions about donating organs, I'm not supposed to discuss it?
Is there really a law that states no one but organ procurement specialists can talk to people about donation? Or mentioned somewhere where it is unethical for nurses/docs not affiliated with donor agencies to talk about donation?
The gist of the OP was that the organ donation people should have backed off when the mom said she didn't want organ donation, when really it's not really relevant what the mom wants, it would the patient would have wanted that we are morally obligated to determine.
Specializes in OR, Nursing Professional Development.
I guess I'm not understanding this because as hospice, we do discuss this with the patient and family. Before imminent death. Most likely at admit depending on the situation and how overwhelmed the family or patient is regarding the dying process and signing up for hospice. It is in the paperwork. There's even a little checkbox.
If I were working acute and a patient wanted to ask me questions about donating organs, I'm not supposed to discuss it?
Is there really a law that states no one but organ procurement specialists can talk to people about donation? Or mentioned somewhere where it is unethical for nurses/docs not affiliated with donor agencies to talk about donation?
I'm truly befuddled here.
I think you and I are approaching this from completely different experiences. You're working in hospice, where death is expected, and part of the intake is discussing options for after that death. I work in a trauma center, where each of our organ procurement procedures are either traumatic injuries leading to brain death (therefore, no such opportunity to discuss the patient's wishes during the admission process) or those who come into the hospital with emergent medical issues who then end up being either futile care where they either suffer brain death or are declared futile care and the OPO considers donation after cardiac death- again, no opportunity to discuss the patient's wishes during admission. In my experience, death is not expected when the patient is admitted; after all, the expectation is that patients come into the hospital to get well. I don't know of a law where it is forbidden for the healthcare team to discuss organ donation with patients, but in my facility it is strictly against policy to speak with the family of incapacitated patients due to the possibility of family seeing it as blurred lines (and quite honestly, it's also blurring the line in my opinion). The OPO, with staff that are trained to have these discussions with the families of those who are declared brain dead or futile care, provides that separation without blurring the line.
If I were working acute and a patient wanted to ask me questions about donating organs I'm not supposed to discuss it?[/quote']
If the family brings it up, we're supposed to call the OPO and one of their staff will come speak to the family. Of course we tell them we're going to call our OPO, and that an expert will answer their questions -- we don't simply ignore the question.
Where I work, we are absolutely prohibited from discussion anything pertaining to possibility of donation with patient or family. If they ask, we have to answer directly that there will be a special person to speak about it, and call "Gift of Life" number.
I had families speaking quite openly about their perception of "ICU not doing the best job" with the patient so that "they would take his organs" but due to the family heroically insisting on futile care the poor soul ended up brain dead on chronic life support. Honestly, I concerned about ethics of keeping such patienrs "alive" much more than about repeatedly approaching families about donation. At least, the latter option gives them, eventually, feeling of closure and some sense about it. When their unrealistic wantings got granted, they feel hopeful and victoriuos, that is to say, for short period of time, but then eventual senseless horror sets upon them and they can't find strength for making that final and right decision to withdraw care. It only gets worse as time passes, and there are no saved lives, or even improved ones. Everything that remains is endless grief and massive waste of resources of all kinds.
cgtravel
4 Posts
Thank you for the info and I really think as an industry, we need to educate the nation. I am a proud organ donor. In fact, if able at the time, I have already signed up to donate my body to a medical college. I really hope that more people will consider OD, because through research and implants, we can do so much.