Potential organ donor: Identification by patients in the emergency room. Hospital of San José de Bogotá D.C. August to November 2007

Donante potencial de órganos: Identificación por los enfermos en urgencias. Hospital de San José de Bogotá D.C. agosto a noviembre de 2007

The interventions that the nursing professional makes to the potential organ donor are essential to ensure optimal use of the organs to be transplanted. You must be very clear about the basic aspects concerning organ donation and transplantation, in order to become a promoter of this therapeutic modality. It is necessary to identify gaps in the knowledge and attitude of these professionals in order to motivate, sensitize and increase the potential population of donors in the emergency service for adults. Objective: to describe the theoretical elements in the identification of potential organ donors in the emergency service of the San José Hospital. Methodology: quantitative, observational, descriptive, cross-sectional study, in the period between August and November 2007. A survey was designed with ten questions based on the Colombian legislation that governs organ donation; the sample consisted of ten nursing professionals who work in a level III hospital in the adult emergency service, resuscitation room and intermediate care unit. Results: 60% of the staff had worked in the emergency service for less than one year, five between two and six months and one only 15 days. The other 40% had worked more than a year. It was observed that those who answered the survey do not know the laws that regulate the donation of organs in Colombia or do not remember the purpose of the same. About the knowledge of absolute and relative contraindications, the concept is not clear. Conclusion: as organ donation is an issue that generates expectation given the large number of patients entering dialysis programs, it is necessary to implement a quality assurance program for the donation-extraction process in hospital institutions, providing a methodology of work that becomes a useful tool for the performance of this work. The use of a potential donor identification and identification protocol that is organized and that directly involves the nursing professional, would contribute to the increase of possible candidates for organ donation and transplantation. Abbreviations: TR, transplant (s).

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