Standardizing donation education for nursing students: one organ procurement organization's approach.

Nurses are often the primary source of donor referrals to an organ procurement organization. Early exposure to donation information during nursing school may enhance nurses' ability to identify and refer potential donors once they are in nursing practice. Although organ procurement organizations strive to provide donation education to nursing students, this process can drain an organization's resources. Therefore, to facilitate the educational process with a minimum of disruption to the function of the organ procurement organization, a standardized approach to donation was developed. After the program had been in place for more than a year, students and organ procurement organization staff alike reported great satisfaction with this standardized approach.

The effects of donor sodium levels on recipient liver graft function.

A great deal of discussion has been generated regarding the effects of donor hypernatremia on recipient liver graft function. Much of this discussion is anecdotal and focuses on the detrimental effects of hypernatremia in the organ donor. The treatment of donor hypernatremia often leads to changes in donor management protocols. A retrospective study was conducted to determine if donor hypernatremia measurably alters the liver graft function of recipients. Results indicated that donor sodium values were unrelated to any recipient parameter assessed. Although further studies are pending, these findings suggest that a moderate rather than a severe approach to the management of donor hypernatremia may be preferred.