Essay Example on Organ Donation: Need for Awareness and Positive Attitude

Introduction

For many organ diseases at the end-stage, the most preferred treatment is organ transplantation as its need is higher than the availability. For successful organ transplantation programs, there is a need for awareness concerning organ donation, and individuals must have a positive attitude toward organ donation (Tong et al., 2013). Many individuals in the society refuse to donate organs because they perceive that it is associated with death; hence, there is a need to carry out a campaign or awareness concerning organ donation to eliminate some taboos that are against the whole process. In most parts of the world, organ donation programs are still at the primordial stage, and in some countries, they are almost negligible (Tong et al., 2013). Thus, it is high time every stakeholder involved in the programs to understand the magnitude of the importance of the programs and do more awareness to the public.

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The paper examines the importance of organ donation awareness. It discusses explicitly organ donation and its significance in nursing and examines factors that influence thinking concerning organ donation. Also, some viewpoints and assumptions of organ donation are outlined with a description of the influence of gender, class, and race on organ donation. Then, perspectives of organ donation are outlined with a discussion on the advantages and disadvantages of each perspective.

Definition of Organ Donation and its Importance in Nursing

Organ donation is a process where an individual allows an organ to be removed from themselves legally through consent when he or she is alive or after death with the next of kin permission. The most common transplantations after organ donations are the heart, pancreas, kidney, bones, intestines, cornea, skin, bone marrow, lungs, and part of the liver. Most of the donations are made when the donor is dead, although some organs like kidney and parts of the intestines, pancreas, and lungs can be donated when the donor is still alive (Tong et al., 2013). Various number o deaths because of organ failures can be prevented through timely donations and organ transplants. Organ donation is a topic that has attracted many conflicting views as to some individuals; it is a genuine way of saving other's life. To some people, it is mistrusted with others, not fully understanding. Organ donors, when compared to no-donors, feel that saving others' life will take away some of their grief. They also feel motivated and more medically sophisticated.

Organ donation is multipart, and nurse's participation in the process is essential through the provision of organs to society, which benefits from the therapy. Creating an organ donation awareness will increase the number of organs available, and it will assist nurses in carrying out the transplantation process in time and makes their work issue; that is taking care of the patient (Babaie et al., 2015). After identification of the potential donor, a nurse plays the role of initiating the technical protocols and procedures that confirm the identified person as the potential donor. The nurse then guides the healthcare team about the need for informing the family of the potential donor to clarify any doubts the family may have. This type of care given by nurses is of great importance as mostly the families of donors only have contact after the conclusion of the process, which makes it hard to accept the donation process. Having more awareness increases the possibility of having more potential organ donors as donors are the means to the determined end for patients with organ failures (Babaie et al., 2015). Hence, more donors motivate nurses in the process of organ donation, which gives importance and meaning to their work. Nurses are crucial elements in obtaining organs for transplant as their actions are aimed at optimizing the quality of the organs donated. With a high number of potential donors, the work of nurses will be more comfortable as there will be a high possibility of success in the organ transplant process. Nurses have to fully understand the wishes of the potential donor when death occurs and must be in a position to grasp how the donors want to add meaning on their end in the process of donating their organs to others.

Factors that Influence the Act of Organ Donation

The decision and attitudes of donating an organ are affected by the ability to save lives, altruism, fear of medical negligence, body wholeness and dignity, fear and grief from the donor family, the religion, and family attitudes of the donor. Altruism is a motivator to organ donation, as most communities consider this value to be a significant factor in deciding to be a potential donor (Irving et al., 2014). Most individuals who choose to donate organs are primarily motivated by the ability to save the lives of other people. The other influential factor is donation incentives as most people donate organs to receive direct or indirect incentives as most families decide to give organs of their beloved one who is dying to get money to gather for funeral expenses.

Viewpoints of Organ Donation

Two notable viewpoints illustrate organ donation. They are the utilitarian rationalism, also known as the communitarian viewpoint and moral neutrality viewpoint. On the part of the communitarian viewpoint, organ donation is a social obligation, and it is better off to donate than to not (Mercado-Martinez et al., 2015). The view considers organ donation as a sharing of social obligation and right rather than a gift of life. In general, the communitarian perspective stresses the concepts of recipient entitlement and social duty. The view only focused on benefits received by the recipient of the organ and abandoned the interpersonal reality of the process; thus, it results in policies and practices that increased the number of organ donation.

On the moral neutral viewpoint, organ donation is offered with compassion and confidence, and without apology or apprehension. It accepts that organ donation within the realm of end of life care is an intensive care activity. It acknowledges intensivists being responsible for the care of dying patients together with their families (Mercado-Martinez et al., 2015). The view requires people to be accountable for the integrity and quality of practices involving organ donation, such as compassionate and humane patient care. It reflects the interpersonal reality of organ donation where the process is taken as an option that intensivists have to give confidently offer appropriate care to families of the patients.

Impact of Legal, Spiritual, Cultural, and Ethical Factors on Organ Donation

Several factors impact thinking about organ donation. The rise in acceptance of organ donation is accompanied by various issues, which include ethical complications, spiritual concerns. For a multicultural society, organ donation is affected by several matters arising from religious and social issues. All those concerns need to be looked at as attitudes that impact the acceptability of organ donation, which varies concerning religion, culture, and social. Spiritually, to some individual's organ donation is not a gift of life (Ravitsky, 2013). Some people hold strong cultural beliefs about death, healthcare, and dying. Some cultures believe that there is a need for ancestral approval before the donation takes place as they understand that spirits are transferred from the donor to the recipient. That belief is based on the fact that the family of the donor might lose the protection of ancestors in the future if the ancestors did not approve the donation. Other individuals advocate for ritual performance during the process of grieving, but donor donation tends to interfere with such rituals.

The religious aspects play a significant role in peoples thinking about organ donation with most major spiritual support the matter to save lives. Still, others do not accept because of religious beliefs. All religious groups take the donation of organs as long as the process does not hasten the death or impede the life of the donor. Religious groups encourage donations as a charitable act that enhances or saves a life. Various religions support organ donation as they hold that the lord showed through their life hoe love enables people to embrace the needs of others even in sorrow. All religions support donation at the end of life as it illustrates the beginning of healing for others.

Ethical beliefs also have some impacts on organ donation, regardless of religion. Various individuals who are no-donors belief that physicians will terminate life support if such physicians are aware of their wishes to be a donor. Ethical donation is through a consent, presumed or explicit, procured by request or spontaneously offered (Ravitsky, 2013). The process resolves on consent, where the medical duty is to provide full information for patients to know the procedures and understand the outcomes for themselves and others. The donation should be free of coercion, deception, improper inducement, and over-persuasion. Ethically, both donors and patients are under a duty to get full disclosure of all ethical judgment and what is relevant to clinical experience.

Many non-donors, through cultural effect, have mistrust the whole system of organ donation. The mistrust is on the physicians and the individuals who the physicians will award the organ donated. Misconceptions about the process of transplant are on one of the deterrents to interest in the donation of organs as some people fear that their families will not get proper care if their organs are donated (Ravitsky, 2013). Other fears are the premature determination of death and the belief that the patients will experience organ procurement pain.

Influence of Race, Class, and Gender on Organ Donation

The impact of race is on personal behavior, which includes the authorization of organ donation. Most minority groups lack knowledge concerning organ donation. In the United States of America, African Americans have minimal experience with various organs and are less likely to understand organ donation existence. In some races, discussion with family members about donating an organ is limited and less frequent than other races; this shows low quality of coordination within the races, which drags down the process of organ donation.

In terms of gender, the number of women donating organs, and those who are willing to donate is high compared to several men. Research by Ge et al. (2013) showed that about 72.5 percent of women in a sample of 169 individuals are willing to donate organs. Then, 53.5 percent in a sample of 108 people are willing to donate organs. Women have more sense of responsibility and self-sacrifice compared to women who are more predisposed to organ donation. Almost two-thirds of all organ donation in a cost-free living donation is done by women (Ge et al., 2013).

Conclusion

Increasing organ donation awareness is an essential factor that will result from increases in the availability of viable organs. Education concerning the donation should be disseminated to the public, especially to the minority communities. At the same time, an open dialogue should be created among nurses and other healthcare professionals to emphasize the significance of awareness, referral, and discussion of the sensitive issues regarding the donations with the patients. Through understanding the impacts of religion, ethics, social, and culture together with implications of race, class, and gender on organ donation, then the awareness of organ donation will be increased, leading to overcoming the challenge of limited organs and increase the availability of donated organs for transplantation. In terms of the race where some minority communit...