Organ Donation

[missboo622]

I am an RN doing the BSN bridge and I am doing a paper on "Organ Donation". What I am curious about is what reasons families have given as to why they do not want to donate their loved ones organs (or why they do want to donate). Any story, statistic or tid-bit is helpful!!

Thanks in advance!

[TechieNurse]

http://www.thebostonchannel.com/health/5029562/detail.html?treets=bos&tml=bos_health&ts=T&tmi=bos_health_1_12150309282005

[TPHolcnursingstudent]

I think its very interesting that reguardless of what you put on your drivers liscense, or the wishes you relay to your family, ultimately the decision falls to the family members after you have passed on wether or not to let you be a organ donor. Fortunately, my family and I have discussed this issue and we are all in agreeance that being an organ donor is a way to give life. I think the main issue is to talk about this with your loved ones and let them know how you feel so when approached in this time of dispair their will be no decision to make because it has already been made.

[RosesrReder, BSN, MSN, RN]

I have found that the people who refuse organ donation have very strong opinions about it and think it is wrong, or are following their loved one's wishes.

True and also along the lines of religion and culture.

[renerian, BSN, RN]

I am an organ donor/not yet LOL and it is on my driver's license. My entire family knows I want that. My hubby won't. He says it is against his religion that his body needs to be buried whole. I have not found one Catholic who agrees with that LOL.

Any other Catholics here to say that is true? ( I am not Catholic)

renerian :rotfl:

[Student Kelly]

Several years ago my cousin (who was only 18yo.) was in a fatal car accident. Details of the accident were very sketchy & there were alot of unanswered questions resulting from his death. I was probably 12 years old at the time,but was left with a lasting impression that the medical staff at the hospital did not do all they could to save him because he was marked on his lisence as an organ donor. He was very healthy and was a prime candidate for giving organs. Since I was so young I am sure there was a lot that I did not understand about what happened,but ever since then either me or my family has designated on our lisence to be an organ donor. I know it is probably crazy to think that anything like that would happen,but I can't help but feel that way.

I would definitely want to be an organ donor,but only when my time is definitely up & all measures have failed to keep me alive, that is why I have discussed it with my husband & the rest of my family. Maybe someday I will feel comfortable enough to let them put a sticker on my lisence,but for now I would feel more comfortable with letting my family make that decision.

Hope this helps for your research!!

[SusanJean]

I am an organ donor/not yet LOL and it is on my driver's license. My entire family knows I want that. My hubby won't. He says it is against his religion that his body needs to be buried whole. I have not found one Catholic who agrees with that LOL.

Any other Catholics here to say that is true? ( I am not Catholic)

renerian :rotfl:

The Catholic Church used to forbid cremations because it did not leave the body "intact" for Judgement Day - when Jesus returns and souls are reunited w/ their bodies. Then the Church decided if Jesus/God can resurrect a decayed body, He could put a cremated one back together. So now cremation is permitted in the Catholic Church as long as it is not done w/ the intent to not allow the body to be put back together. (This is the short, simple version.) I think it was Vatican Two that made this adjustment, but I wouldn't bet on it.

The ruling was made on cremation, not organ donation. The Catholic Church leaves the issue of organ donation to an individual.

So, I think your hubby's thinking stems from along this cremation arguement. While his preference might be personal, it is not dictated by the Catholic Church. I do believe that different priests will preach their own beliefs to parishoners, tho...so he may have heard it from someone who misrepresented the info.

[abi_0303]

I guess people opt to donate organs because they want to have an opportunity to do an act of kindness before they leave the world entirely. There are numerous reasons as to why people may not want to donate their organs. A very good example is my mom, I've always to;d her that if anyhing happens to me, I would want her to consent the donation of any of my organs depending on what is needed by a possible receipient. As it turns out, she doesn't even want to talk about it because DEATh is too morbid a topic as of the moment.

[june2009]

At the facilities near pittsburgh - and maybe even across PA, If someone is pronounced brain dead by the legal definition, the nurse, attending physician or nurse manager of the unit they are on must call C.O.R.E. (The team that actually harvests organs and that do the actual transport and transplantation) The hospital staff does not even attempt to ask about organ donation. When C.O.R.E. arrives at the hospital, they have special ways of approaching the subject with the surviving family members. This is supposed to happen in every case of brain death. I'm sure it doesn't always happen the way it's supposed to.

I have spoken to some nurses who are against it for the simple reason that the donor is not anesthatised at all. Since the donor is brain dead they don't believe that the donor feels pain. How does anyone know that they can't feel pain. Pain is the most basic of needs. Even a comatose pt. will withdrawl when you give them a sternal rub (usually). I myself, and my husband are definitely organ donors, and we've agreed that our little boys would be too (God forbid anything should happen to them). My only stipulation would be that the boys would be put under a general anesthesia when they harvest their organs. I can't bear the thought of my babies possibly being able to feel that.

Other people, such as my dad, feel that if you are an organ donor and in an accident, that the hospital staff might "let you die" to get your organs. That, of course, is absolutely incorrect. It goes back to pt. (and health care worker) education or lack thereof like someone else had said.

Other people feel that they must be buried with their bodies intact or they will not be able to be go to what they believe is the afterlife to be.:heartbeat

Michelle

[june2009]

Oh, and, good luck on your paper.

Michelle