Issues and considerations in requesting an anatomical gift

The development of a narrative describing the bereavement of families of potential organ donors: A systematic review

“…The importance of staff training was highlighted ( Christopherson and Lunde, 1971 ; Haney, 1973 ; Perkins, 1987 ; Willis and Skelley, 1992 ), as was the link between staff competence and family satisfaction ( Morton and Leonard, 1979 ; Pelletier, 1993c ; Perkins, 1987 ; Siminoff et al, 2001 ). Staff are encouraged to develop relationships with family members early ( Ashkenazi, 2010 ; Douglass and Daly, 1995 ; Fulton et al, 1977 ; Morton and Leonard, 1979 ; Painter et al, 1995 ; Randhawa, 1998 ; Riley and Coolican, 1999 ) and continue providing support after the family returns home ( Douglass and Daly, 1995 ; Duckworth et al, 1998 ; Holtkamp, 1997 , 2000 ; Sque et al, 2003 ).…”

“…Information should be provided gradually with numerous meetings preparing families for the impending death ( Holtkamp, 1997 ; Simpkin et al, 2009 ). Some researchers identified the potential for a brief period of anticipatory mourning at this time ( Haney, 1973 ; Hart, 1986 ; Steed and Wager, 1998 ; Youngner et al, 1985 ) where families could engage in meaning-making activities such as managing environmental demands, spending time with and away from the patient, adapting to new roles and responsibilities, saying good-bye and developing a post-death psychological bond ( Holtkamp, 2000 ). Sque and Long-Sutehall (2011) agreed that this would assist families to construct their relative’s biography and family narrative of their experience.…”

“…Medical advancement contributed to a situation where new attitudes and practices concerning death and dying were necessary ( Christopherson and Lunde, 1971 ; Fulton et al, 1977 ; Morton and Leonard, 1979 ; Simmons et al, 1972 ). Haney (1973) recognised the importance of seeing technology in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) as a feature of the family’s bereavement that could enable signs of death to be redefined, avoiding false hope. Families and staff actively introduce, comprehend, and interpret the context, transforming an unusual death experience into something understandable ( Hadders and Alnaes, 2013 ; Jensen, 2011a , 2011b ).…”

“…Researchers observed that families often expressed their decision in terms of their desire to follow the deceased’s preferences ( Christopherson and Lunde, 1971 ; Fulton et al, 1977 ; Haney, 1973 ; Morton and Leonard, 1979 ; Pelletier, 1993c ; Perkins, 1987 ), suggesting an ongoing connection. Walter (1996) described the need to create durable biography for the deceased, incorporating aspects of their previous relationships into family life ( Bellali and Papadatou, 2006 ; Payne, 2007 ; Sque and Payne, 1996 ).…”

“…Researchers acknowledge that making a decision about donation is not easy ( Bartucci, 1987 ; Hart, 1986 ) and may contribute to ambiguity, ambivalence and dissonance ( Robertson-Malt, 1998 ; Youngner et al, 1985 ). Family disagreements do occur, prompting families to decide in a way that fits with the family hierarchy ( Haney, 1973 ) and/or different family roles. Northam (2015) , for example, found that mothers played an important role in decision-making.…”