The Existence of Experience and Frequency and Severity of Related Concerns of Ethical Issues in Nursing Practice Encountered in Organ Transplantation

Abstract Objectives The purpose of this study was to elucidate the existence of the experience of and the frequency and severity of related concerns of distressful ethical situations encountered by nursing professionals in organ transplantation. Methods An anonymous self-administered questionnaire was mailed to 569 nurses in 79 facilities that performed organ transplantation with living or brain-dead donors who provided approval for this study. The questionnaire, developed according to the Likert method, was composed of 12 items referring to the basic attributes of nursing professionals based on the results of previous studies and the scientific literature, as well as 27 items referring to the presence or absence and the frequency and severity of concerns regarding ethical situations. The data were analyzed using descriptive statistics. Results The questionnaire was distributed to 569 nursing professionals working in 79 facilities that had provided consent for study participation. Responses were obtained from 218 participants (recovery rate: 38.3%). Among the 3 highest-ranking items, those in the first and second positions in terms of the presence or absence and the frequency of worries were the same as those in the second and third positions in terms of the severity of concerns. In addition, the 3 lower-ranking items also were the same. Among the ethical situations encountered by nursing professionals, the ones most often experienced that caused the most concern were the following: “I have questioned whether it was better for the recipient, who could not do self-care after the transplant, to undergo transplantation”, and “I have felt that a recipient decided to receive a transplant without considering the importance of posttransplant self-management when making a decision about transplant surgery.” Conclusions The results indicate that most of the ethical issues related to organ transplantation in nursing practice were experienced because recipients, their families, and donors could not foresee the various problems that might occur after transplantation.