Dorothea McDowell

Developing a tissue donation advocacy program in a rural emergency department.

Although major strides have been made with regard to organ and tissue donation, there continues to be a lack of available donors. Currently more than 100,000 persons are awaiting a life-saving transplant, and 1 million others have conditions such as blindness, dermal burns, and malfunctioning heart valves that could be improved with a tissue transplant. Because approximately 40 persons can benefit from just one donor and because many families are comforted knowing that their loved one was able to help others in need, tissue donation efforts are a priority for health care professionals. A limited number of emergency departments across the United States have developed programs in which nurses introduce tissue donation to families after cardiac death occurs. The concept of emergency nurse-initiated tissue donation dialogues with family members is relatively new. As a result, few resources, literature, and programs are available, and thus guidance and support in the development of future programs are needed. This article discusses the development and implementation of a tissue donation advocacy program in a rural emergency department. Planning, training, and recommendations for others wishing to implement a similar program are highlighted. Preliminary outcome information and planned evaluations are included.

The Collaborative Panel: Fostering a Climate for Multidisciplinary Care

Quality healthcare depends on interdisciplinary collaboration characterized as ‘‘an effective interpersonal process that facilitates the achievement of goals that cannot be reached when individual professions act on their own.’’ Collaboration supersedes territorial thinking; interdisciplinary collaboration has the potential to provide care that is truly patient-centered. Examples of successful collaborative initiatives involving nurses and other healthcare professionals abound in the literature. Despite this, the literature is sparse with examples of educators providing collaboration-related teaching/learning opportunities. Teamwork among students from nursing and other healthcare disciplines as the primary strategy is most commonly reported. Standard VI of the Essentials of Baccalaureate Education of Professional Nursing Practice states ‘‘communication and collaboration among healthcare professionals are critical to delivering high quality and safe patient care.’’