Nurses’ attitudes towards transplantology

Orzeł-Nowak A, Talaga S, Buławska K

This paper is an attempt to examine nurses’ attitudes towards transplantology, a branch of clinical medicine responsible for organ transplants. 84 registered nurses were interviewed. The questionnaire was of an audit character and it was filled under the supervision of interviewers. Nurses’ knowledge about issues concerning transplantology was very incomplete. Very few nurses had their own experience in being a tissue donor (blood, bone marrow) for another human being. Many participants didn’t see any difference between diagnosed death of brain stem and being a potential donor. Transplantology issues are still a taboo in many families. The majority of nurses involved in the study, thought they could be a donor ex mortuo. As an ex vivo donor, participants would agree to give their bone marrow. 9.5% of interviewed nurses didn’t see anything wrong in buying organs.