Organ and tissue donation: use of quality tool for process optimization

Donación de órganos y tejidos: utilización de herramienta de calidad para la optimización del processo

Abstract

Objective:

Identify by means of a management tool causes of losses of possible and potential organs and tissues donation as opportunities of improvements in the organs and tissues donation system.

Method:

Descriptive and quantitative study developed in three hospitals in the south of the country, which used an instrument of the National Transplant Organization of Spain to trace opportunities of improvements in the scenario of the organs and tissues donation. Tha data collect was carried out in patients´medical records from July and October 2017. The data were analyzed through the descriptive statistics.

Results:

Of the 321 deaths occurred, 73% were heart arrested and 27% were brain death. In all hospitals the percentage of brain death was higher than 25%. The causes of losses involve hemodynamic alterations 78.3% and medical contraindications 21,7%, with respect to hemodynamic instability 33% related to the hypotension, polyuria 28% , sodium more than 155mEq/l 22% and temperature below 35.5ºC in 17%.

Conclusion and Implications for practice:

The main causes of loss involve the hemodynamic instability and the contraindication, with respect to opportunities of improvements it was possible to measure the causes of the non-validation of the potential organs donor. The management tool used in the study allows the healthcare team to develop strategies directed towards actual problems incurred at the stages of the donation and transplantation process.

Keywords:
Transplantation; Tissue and Organ Procurement; Health Management; Nursing; Health Status Indicators