Organ Donor Interview Summary

Words: 514
Pages: 3

II. Since you have seen the statistics for the need of organ donors, I want to share with you a brief summary of what will be experienced in the wake of your decision to donate your organs. A. The organ donation process begins only after a person is declared brain dead.

1. More tests and exams are done on a possible organ donor to determine brain death than on a non donor. In my interview with Michelle Abedrabo the nurse manager of the Neuro/Trauma unit at MidMichigan Medical Center she informed me that these tests include, but are not limited to; two exams by different neurologists that must be obtained at least 6 hours apart, multiple tests to determine absence of brain function, inability of person to breathe on their own, and many more.

2. If someone is on the donor registration list, family is informed that the person wants to be an organ donor, but conflicts can arise if next of kin is not on board with the patient’s wishes. Family can stop an organ donation from happening, but it can give peace of mind to family members to know that the decision had already been made by you, the person involved. It is very important that people have open discussions with family about their wishes when they have
…show more content…
After someone is declared brain dead, the organ donation team called the gift of life will assess to see if that person is a candidate to donate their organs. When all of the consents, tests, and determinations are finished and the determination is made to go forward with organ donation the gift of life basically takes over all of the patient’s medical care until the time of organ donation happens. The Journal of Trauma Nursing article “Improved Organ Procurement Through Implementation of Evidence-based Practice” claims this process focuses on family, patient and potential organ recipients and all will benefit from the positive outcome of their donation