The purpose of this phenomenological study was to examine the meaning of being a live liver donor. Six people between ages 27 and 53 years participated. A qualitative, in-depth, semistructured interview format was used to explore donors' thoughts and feelings about being an organ donor. Five themes were identified: (1) no turning back--how do I live without you? (2) roller coaster marathon, (3) donor network, (4) the scar, and (5) reflections--time to think. At the center of the experience was the donor's commitment to the recipient. Once donors began the process, they were determined to see it through. The process was complex, and donors received various levels of support from family, friends, health care professionals, and others. After donation, as donors recovered and were able to resume their usual daily responsibilities, they reflected on the impact of the experience and how it changed their view of life.

The purpose of this phenomenological study was to examine the meaning of being a live liver donor. Six people between ages 27 and 53 years participated. A qualitative, in-depth, semistructured interview format was used to explore donors' thoughts and feelings about being an organ donor. Five themes were identified: (1) no turning back--how do I live without you? (2) roller coaster marathon, (3) donor network, (4) the scar, and (5) reflections--time to think. At the center of the experience was the donor's commitment to the recipient. Once donors began the process, they were determined to see it through. The process was complex, and donors received various levels of support from family, friends, health care professionals, and others. After donation, as donors recovered and were able to resume their usual daily responsibilities, they reflected on the impact of the experience and how it changed their view of life.

No abstract

Creating an ambulatory outpatient service for transplant recipients in an inpatient care unit allows several goals to be met: decreased inpatient length of stay, decreased cost per case, and increased patient satisfaction. By using 6 inpatient beds for ambulatory outpatient procedures, the leadership staff of an adult inpatient care unit in Mount Sinai Medical Center consolidated adult transplant services into a single area promoting quality transplant care.

Creating an ambulatory outpatient service for transplant recipients in an inpatient care unit allows several goals to be met: decreased inpatient length of stay, decreased cost per case, and increased patient satisfaction. By using 6 inpatient beds for ambulatory outpatient procedures, the leadership staff of an adult inpatient care unit in Mount Sinai Medical Center consolidated adult transplant services into a single area promoting quality transplant care.

No abstract

Publications on living donor liver transplant have focused on the medical aspects of donor selection, postoperative management, surgical procedures, and outcomes, but little attention has been given to the nursing implications for care of live liver donors during their inpatient stay. Donor advocates from various disciplines are involved during the initial education and evaluation, but most care after surgery is delivered by an inpatient medical team and bedside nursing staff who are not as familiar with the donor and concepts related to donor advocacy. In an effort to improve the overall donor experience and provide safe, high-quality care to patients undergoing elective partial hepatectomy, our academic medical center began a quality improvement project focused on improving the inpatient stay. Inpatient nursing standards and policies and procedures were developed to ensure that consistent care is delivered. However, the infrequency of living donor liver transplantation makes it nearly impossible to have all transplant program staff on a nursing unit be “experts” on donor care. Therefore, our center determined that, similar to the Independent Donor Advocacy Team, a transplant program needs live donor champions on the nursing unit to mirror the goals of the team. To that end, we developed the concept of the Designated Donor Nurse to care for and advocate for live liver donors during the inpatient stay and also to serve as a resource to their colleagues.