Sigma Theta Tau International's 29th International Research Congress

International Operating Room Nurses' Lived Experiences in Organ Procurement Surgery: A Phenomenological Study

Weili Gao, MN, BN (Hons), RN Department of Nursing, Monash University, Melbourne, Virginia Plummer, PhD, RN, RM, GCHPE, CertCritCare, BN, GradDipHlthAdmin, MSc (Hlt Faculty of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences, Monash University, Frankston, Australia Lisa McKenna, PhD School of Nursing and Midwifery, La Trobe University, Bundoora, Australia

Purpose:

Deceased organ donation can only be performed by removing vital organs from a deceased person whose brain or cardiac death has been confirmed. Deceased organ donation can be technically divided into two types of donations including Donation after Brain Death (DBD) and Donation after Circulatory Death (DCD) (Transplantation Society of Australia and New Zealand [TSANZ], 2016). Healthcare professionals are at the frontline in promoting organ donation activity between the general public and the health care system. Their attitudes toward organ donation have strong impact on the general public. If the attitudes of healthcare professionals are more negative, then their negative attitudes may influence their engagement and behaviours in relation to organ donation and also affect general public’s attitudes or decision making toward organ donation, and even worse, the negative impact may be difficult to reverse (Hu & Huang, 2015; Ríos et al., 2010; Zambudio, Martinez-Alarcon, Parrilla, & Ramirez, 2009). Various attitudes between different cultures are important to recognise and acknowledge, as increasing numbers of healthcare professionals in Australia are from overseas. Operating room (OR) nurses play an essential role in the organ donation process. They are part of a life-transforming team. International OR nurses come from different regions of the world with diverse social and cultural backgrounds, religions, personal beliefs, and education. They are likely to form unique attitudes toward multi-organ procurement that potentially may affect their opinions, clinical practices and behaviours in Australia. A systematic review published by Gao, Plummer, and Williams (2017) showed that there was limited international research regarding OR nurses’ feelings, experiences and attitudes during their participation in deceased organ donation. To date, no research has explored international OR nurses’ experiences and feelings towards deceased organ donation in Australia. Therefore, this research is the first study to explore and provide insights of international nurses participating in deceased organ procurement procedure in the Australian context.

Methods:

Phenomenology has the potential power to grasp the richest and fullest descriptions from personal experiences to understand a phenomenon, comprehend what it means to the individuals in their ‘life- world’ (Schneider, Whitehead, LoBiondo-Wood, & Haber, 2013). Phenomenological research starts from personal experiences, van Manen treasured a phenomenological research question as it “reflects the researcher’s life-long interest in a particular phenomenon, and this interest often arises out of their personal or professional lives” (Parahoo, 2014, p. 222). He also uses the phrase phenomenology of practice to emphasize the importance of meaning-giving methods of phenomenology in exploring the lived meaning in professional fields as well as the personal living life (van Manen, 2014). Therefore, van Manen’s phenomenological approach with six-methodical structure activities was used to explore the true meaning of the lived experience of international operating room nurses participant in organ procurement surgery (van Manen, 1984, 1997).

This low-risk research is conducted in Australia, and has obtained the ethics approval from Monash University’s Human Research Ethics Committee reference number 2017-8590-10395. All participants are international nurses from non-English speaking backgrounds. Audio-recorded semi-structured conversational interviews were employed to collect the data.

Results:

Eighteen international OR nurses from 9 different countries were recruited. The analysis of the data arising from the interviews of the participants is nearing completion and will be presented.

Conclusion:

The findings of this study are likely to provide insights into the unique role and contribution of international nurses in organ procurement procedure, as well as awareness of these nurses’ cultural background and personal beliefs and how they impact the individual. This will inform practice for OR nurses and related healthcare teams, together with associated education and policy reform.

Title:

International Operating Room Nurses' Lived Experiences in Organ Procurement Surgery: A Phenomenological Study

Keywords: operating room nurses, organ procurement and phenomenology

References:

Gao, W., Plummer, V., & Williams, A. (2017). Perioperative nurses' attitudes towards organ procurement: a systematic review. Journal of Clinical Nursing, 26(3-4), 302-319. doi: 10.1111/jocn.13386

Hu, D., & Huang, H. (2015). Knowledge, Attitudes, and Willingness Toward Organ Donation Among Health Professionals in China. Transplantation, 99(7), 1379-1385.

Parahoo, K. (2014). Nursing research: Principles, process and issues (3rd ed.). New York: Palgrave Macmillan.

RÃÂos, A., MartÃÂnez-Alarcà ³n, L., Ayala, M., Sebastià ¡n, M., Abdo-Cuza, A., Alà ¡n, J., . . . Muà ±oz, G. (2010). Spanish and Latin American nursing personnel and deceased organ donation: a study of attitude. Paper presented at the Transplantation Proceedings.

Schneider, Z., Whitehead, D., LoBiondo-Wood, G., & Haber, J. (2013). Nursing and Midwifery Research: Methods and appraisal for evidence-based practice (4th ed.). Sydney: Melinda McEvoy.

Transplantation Society of Australia and New Zealand [TSANZ]. (2016). Clinical guidelines for organ transplantation from deceased donors.  Retrieved 08/06/2016, Retrieved from http://www.donatelife.gov.au/sites/default/files/TSANZ Clinical Guidelines for Organ Transplantation from Deceased Donors_Version 1.0_April 2016.pdf van Manen, M. (1984). "Doing" Phenomenological Research and Writing: An Introduction. (n.p.): Department of Secondary Education, University of Alberta. van Manen, M. (1997). Researching lived experience: Human science for an action sensitive pedagogy (2nd ed.). Ontario: The Althouse Press. van Manen, M. (2014). Phenomenology of practice: Meaning-giving methods in phenomenological research and writing Walnut Creek, CA: Left coast press.

Zambudio, A. R., Martinez-Alarcon, L., Parrilla, P., & Ramirez, P. (2009). Attitude of nursing staff toward organ donation in a Spanish hospital with a solid-organ transplant program. Progress in Transplantation, 19(4), 371-377.

Abstract Summary:

This study provides insights into the international operating room nurses in organ procurement procedure, as well as awareness of these nursesà ¢Â €  ™ cultural background and personal beliefs and how they impact the individual. This also informs practice for OR nurses and related healthcare teams, together with associated education and policy reform.

Content Outline:

Introduction

Point 1: International OR nurses come from different regions of the world with diverse social and cultural backgrounds, religions, personal beliefs, and education. They are likely to form unique attitudes toward multi-organ procurement that potentially may affect their opinions, clinical practices and behaviours in Australia.

Point 2: This research is the first study to explore and provide insights of international nurses participating in deceased organ procurement procedure in the Australian context.

Method

Point 1: van Manen’s phenomenological approach with six-methodical structure activities was used to explore the true meaning of the lived experience of international operating room nurses participant in organ procurement surgery

Result

Point1: Eighteen international OR nurses from 9 different countries were recruited. The analysis of the data arising from the interviews of the participants is nearing completion and will be presented.

Conclusion

Point1: The findings of this study are likely to provide insights into the unique role and contribution of international nurses in organ procurement procedure, as well as awareness of these nurses’ cultural background and personal beliefs and how they impact the individual. Point 2: This will inform practice for OR nurses and related healthcare teams, together with associated education and policy reform.

First Primary Presenting Author

Primary Presenting Author

Weili Gao, MN, BN (Hons), RN Monash University Department of Nursing PhD student Clayton VIC Melbourne Australia

Professional Experience: Trained and worked as an Operating room nurse in Mainland China in 1996 Clinical nurse specialist in Perianaesthetic and PACU stream at the Alfred and Dandenong Hospital since 2008 in Melbourne. Operating room at Frankston Hospital in Melbourne (2014-2016) Finished Honour and Master of nursing in 2008 and currently Study PhD in Monash University. Publication: Perioperative nurses’ attitudes toward organ procurement: a systematic review – Journal of clinical nursing, 2017 – Wiley Online Library DOI: 10.1111/jocn.13386 Present a research topic in 2016 Australian College of Operating Room Nurses 17th National Conference Author Summary: Weili is a clinical nurse specialist in Perianaesthetic and PACU stream at the Alfred and Dandenong Hospital, Melbourne. She has strong interests in nursing research, especially in perioperative specialty. She finished Honour and Master of nursing, and currently Study PhD in Monash University. She published the topic on: Perioperative nurses’ attitudes toward organ procurement: a systematic review at Journal of Clinical Nursing in 2017.

Second Author

Virginia Plummer, PhD, RN, RM, GCHPE, CertCritCare, BN, GradDipHlthAdmin, MSc (Hlt Monash University Faculty of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences Associate Professor Nursing and Midwifery Research Frankston Australia

Professional Experience: Virginia coordinates study programs that offer inbound and outbound students pathways to challenging and rewarding international experiences. Her academic interests are in building research capacity with a focus on local and international approaches to acute care, health service management and disaster management. Virginia’s research interests include nursing workload and costing studies — she has analysed almost two million nursing hours in three countries to explore the cost of nursing care. She has a collaborative appointment with Peninsula Health developing clinical and educational research opportunities in nursing, midwifery and related disciplines. Author Summary: Virginia is Director International Engagement at the School of Nursing and Midwifery. She is also an executive member of the nursing section of the World Association Disaster and Emergency Medicine.

Third Author

Lisa McKenna, PhD La Trobe University School of Nursing and Midwifery Professor Nursing and Midwifery Research Bundoora Australia

Professional Experience: In 2012, Lisa and a colleague were awarded the Monash University Vice- Chancellor’s Award for Programs that Enhance Learning for work into peer teaching and learning. Lisa has published seven textbooks, including Introduction to Teaching and Learning in Health Professions, and over 150 publications in refereed journals across nursing, midwifery, and health professional journals. She is currently the Editor-in-Chief of Collegian: The Australian Journal of Nursing Practice, Scholarship and Research, Associate Editor for Women and Birth, and Editorial Advisor for Today. Author Summary: Lisa is Professor and Head of the School of Nursing and Midwifery at La Trobe. She has extensive experience in teaching undergraduate and postgraduate health professionals. Lisa has researched and published extensively in educational research in nursing, midwifery and health professions, in particular in the areas of interprofessional education, simulation, graduate transition to practice, peer-assisted learning, non-technical skills and professional role development.