Journal of transplant coordination : official publication of the North American Transplant Coordinators Organization (NATCO)
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Advances in organ recovery and transplantation have provided us with the skills and opportunity to save, extend, and improve the quality of life for many. But with these opportunities have come challenges to redefine our practice and relationships with donor and recipient families. ⋯ In the past, communication between donor families and recipients has been anonymous and highly controlled, with much inconsistency among and within the transplant community, leaving many involved in the process confused and frustrated. Transplant professionals may wish to consider critically the common ethical values of autonomy, beneficence, salience and benefit of choice in making decisions about information shared with and contact between donor families and recipients.
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Pressure to reduce overall transplant costs is one of the factors which has led to earlier hospital discharge and increased patient management challenges in outpatient and home care settings. Earlier discharge often contributes to decreased opportunity to provide and ensure comprehension of critical patient and family education, resulting in challenges for home care clinicians who are committed not only to patient and environmental assessments, but to helping assure patient and family understanding of and compliance with critical posttransplant responsibilities and regimens. ⋯ The tool provides patient education information that can be realistically reviewed and reinforced during the home visit. The resource focuses on key self-care issues to promote wellness and graft survival and help prevent adverse outcomes.
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Review Comparative Study
Organizational characteristics of solid-organ donor hospitals and nondonor hospitals.
Efforts to increase organ donation include serious attempts in hospital settings, where unrealized donation potential exists. Research on hospital donation must include understanding organizational as well as patient-specific influences on the donation process. ⋯ Among hospitals not currently producing organ donations, there is a sizable subgroup with donor potential. This area merits further attention.
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Fear of mutilation is a significant barrier to organ and tissue donation. It constitutes an example of Mystical Thinking and may be seen as an exemplar of animal learning or, more specifically, as a representation of the "blood phobia." As such the fear is not amenable to conventional public education efforts. Cognitive and behavioral techniques used in treating other types of phobias should be studied as a way to remove this barrier to donation.
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As medical technology continues its advance, the use of organ transplantation for the palliation and cure of chronic diseases is rising. However, many barriers to organ donation exist, including religious ones. ⋯ The purpose of this article is to explore and define the Islamic religious opinion on organ donation and transplantation to enhance healthcare professionals' understanding of Islamic views concerning brain death and organ donation. It is hoped that this knowledge and understanding may benefit both patients and caregivers in the North American healthcare setting.