Organ and Tissue Donation Awareness

Organ and Tissue Donation Awareness

Community Education Proposal

Organ and tissue transplantation is a therapy that is increasingly utilized in the medical health care field and is a therapy that has caused the supply and demand for organs and tissues "...to be disproportionate and the equitable distribution of this scarce resource remains an ethical issue." (NYSNA, 2008) Presently there are in excess of 86,000 individuals on the national transplantation waiting list..." which is a very long wait with many years being the general wait time for a suitable organ. A report issued by the New York State Nurses Association attributes the short supply of suitable organs and issues that public education and awareness must necessarily address are: (1) the knowledge and attitudes of health professionals; (2) processes for identification of donors; (3) timing of organ donation request; (4) family members refusal to consent to organ donation; and (5) considerations of a cultural nature that impact the willingness of individuals to donate organs. (Molzahn, Starzomski & McCormick, 2003; as cited in NYSNA, 2008)

STATEMENT of PROBLEM

There is a need to make individuals in Quincy, Massachusetts aware of the options of tissue and organ donation. The professional nursing community should "...assume an integral and valuable role in overcoming the shortage of suitable, viable organs and tissue for transplantation." (NYSNA, 2008)

PURPOSE of STUDY

The purpose of the research proposed is to provide information awareness to the community in Quincy, Massachusetts via the nursing professional and to measure the effectiveness of the outcome of learning for community members.

METHODOLOGY

The methodology proposed in this study in determining the best method to utilize in providing instruction to individuals in the community of Quincy, Massachusetts is one of a qualitative nature and will be conducted through a thorough review of literature in this area of study in determining the methods of instruction within the community that have been found effective. Further, the review of literature in this study will identify the method most effective in assessing the effectiveness of instruction ultimately resulting in the design and development of a study to be implemented in the community of Quincy, Massachusetts. This study will be one in which nursing professional provide information awareness to members of the community and then following make an assessment of the effectiveness of the instruction provided by the nursing professional to the community of Quincy, Massachusetts.

DATA COLLECTION & ANALYSIS