Early identification and referral of organ donors in five private hospitals: a survey to determine the knowledge and views of critical care professional nurses pre and post a PowerPoint training intervention

Background. Internationally, the declining number of organ donors does not meet the rising demand for life-saving solid organ transplant operations. Critical care professional nurses play an important role in the identification of organ donors. A deeper understanding is needed of the missed opportunities of identification and referral of potential organ donors to organ transplant co-ordinators in the critical care environment. Objectives. To describe the knowledge and views of critical care professional nurses (CCPNs) in South Africa concerning the early identification and referral of organ donors, and to describe the short-term effect of implementing a PowerPoint training intervention on nurses' knowledge in this domain. Methods. A mixed method, experimental, exploratory, descriptive study design was followed. Critical care professional nurses in seven intensive care units at five private hospitals completed a data collection instrument comprising 11 quantitative and three qualitative questions, before and after completing a PowerPoint training intervention. The post test was done directly after the training intervention due to the environment of nursing shift work. Results. A total of 173 (79%) CCPNs participated, from a population of 218. The median (interquartile range) score for all participants increased from 60% (48 - 76) prior to the PowerPoint training intervention, to 96% (88 - 96) after the intervention (p<0.0001). Three main themes emerged from the qualitative questions: stress experienced by the CCPNs during the organ donor process (62%); inadequate collaboration between doctors and nurses (34%); and the need for a policy (9%) to guide the donor referral process. Conclusion. CCPNs' knowledge regarding the early identification and referral of potential organ donors increased significantly following a targeted PowerPoint training intervention. The identified themes suggest that CCPNs require support in order to effectively communicate with the donor's family and medical staff

Oral Hygiene Care in Critically Ill Patients

Oral hygiene care includes a combination of nursing activities that are often placed very low on the priority care list for a critically ill patient. This may have detrimental implications for the patient. A literature review was done to identify and describe the available evidence related to the beneficial effects of oral hygiene care and the way in which oral hygiene practices should be implemented for a critically ill patient. Various implications of poor oral hygiene care are highlighted; as well as the barriers that have been identified to preventing good oral hygiene care practice. A discussion of the available research evidence to guide oral hygiene care activities includes aspects of timing as well as recommended 'tools'. While some nursing-led research has been published on this topic; there is scope for further investigation into oral hygiene care practices in the critically ill