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ORGAN DONATION
A federal requirement enacted in 1998 requires facilities to report deaths to the regional organ procurement organization (OPO). This regulation was enacted so that no potential donor would be missed. The regulation ensures that the family of every potential donor will understand the option to donate.
Collection of most organs, including the heart, liver, kidney, and pancreas, requires that the patient be pronounced brain dead but kept physically alive until the organs are harvested. Tissue, such as eyes, skin, bone, and heart valves, may be taken after death.
Follow your facility’s policy for identifying and reporting a potential organ donor. Contact your local or regional OPO when a potential donor is identified. Typically, a specially trained person from your regional OPO will speak with the family about organ donation. The OPO coordinates the donation process after a family consents to donation.
ESSENTIAL DOCUMENTATION
Your documentation will vary depending on the stage of, and your role in, the organ donation process. You’ll need to write a separate note for each stage. Make sure that you record the date and time of each note. Record the date and time that the patient is pronounced brain dead and the doctor’s discussions with the family about the prognosis. (See “Brain death,” pages 48 and 49.) If the patient’s driver’s license or other documents indicate his wish to donate organs, place copies in the medical
record and document that you have done so. The individual who contacts the regional OPO must document the conversation, including the date and time, the name of the person he spoke with, and instructions given. If you were part of the discussion about organ donation with the family, document who was present, what the family was told and by whom, and their response. Record your nursing care of the donor until the time he is taken to the operating room for organ procurement. Chart teaching, explanations, and emotional support given to the family.
record and document that you have done so. The individual who contacts the regional OPO must document the conversation, including the date and time, the name of the person he spoke with, and instructions given. If you were part of the discussion about organ donation with the family, document who was present, what the family was told and by whom, and their response. Record your nursing care of the donor until the time he is taken to the operating room for organ procurement. Chart teaching, explanations, and emotional support given to the family.
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