Organ Donation: What is the Ethical Dilemma

Chioma Onyejekwe
Charles Drew University
NUR 523 Perspective
Professor: Dr. Shirley Evers-Manly PhD, RN,
July 28th 2014
Abstract
Donations and transplantation of organs today is a success story where everything referring to it is seen in a positive light. For the person donating and his/her relatives, a positive outcome has emerged from a disastrous situation (Berglund, et al., 2012) For the recipient of the organ, an opportunity for a new life that is free from any barriers of support therapy exists. For the medical professional, there is a chance to deliver a cure for a rather irreversible acute or chronic disease. However, despite the great success in organ donation in the medical professional, it comes with significant moral and ethical obligations (Berglund, et al., 2012). This paper focuses on the ethical dilemma faced by nurses in regards to organ donation and, therefore, provides a discussion on what an ethical dilemma is and how it affects the nurses. The paper also discusses the moral issues raised in organ donation including some bioethical principles. Finally, the paper provides a discussion on personal morals and values relating to organ donation and the relationship with morality of a certain group or the whole society.
Introduction
Donations and transplantation of organs today is a success story where everything referring to it is seen in a positive light. However, despite the great success in organ donation in the medical professional, it comes with significant moral and ethical obligations (Simpson, 2012). Nurses, face difficult ethical dilemmas in the process of providing end-of-life patient care especially for those patients that are candidates for organ donation (Linde, 2009). Per Hart (2005), ethical factors have been known cause distress among the nurses that have resulted into reduced job satisfaction and increased turnover intention (Jonsen, Siegler, & Winslade, 2010).
What is the Ethical Dilemma
Nurses are required to consider the respect for life and the bodily integrity during organ donation in the light of the organ recovering procedure (Costa, 2009). Nursing practice is grounded on beneficence (doing well) and nonmaleficence (not doing harm) (Linde, 2009). However, different nurses interpret these principles in varying ways. Some nurses believe that the removal of vital organs leads patient death and, therefore, perceive organ donation performed under the current criteria for the pronunciation of death as an act of killing. Others view organ donation as a moral duty and obligation because there are no alternative healthcare resources (Streat, 2004). Therefore, among the greatest ethical dilemma that nurses experience are related to informed consent. That is how much information to transmit to the patients to ensure that they establish a truly informed consent to the transplant and or donation procedure. This is protecting the dignity and rights of the patient (Ehtuish, 2011).
E...