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).
Ethical choices confront nurses on a daily basis these choices are linked to caring for individuals involved in organ donation. In this case, the ethical dilemma regards providing the full information to the patient in order to obtain a truly informed consent on organ donation with the aim of protecting the dignity and rights of the patient. The bioethical principles involved here include beneficence and nonmaleficence (Lawrence, 2009).
Beneficence is central to patient care and nursing practice and is at the centre of the patient-caregiver relationship (McCormick, 2012). For example, in relation to the dilemma, for the good health of an organ donor, provision of all the required information regarding the organ donation to obtain informed consent from the donor and the provision of such information to the family. However, instances arise as indicated above that by providing the full information to the donor, the donor might refuse to donate the organ, which may be harmful to the recipient. If the donor and receiver are under the care of the same nurse, it might result into an ethical dilemma as manipulating information given to the donor is ethically incorrect while, on the other hand, it is principally the nurse’s role to assist the recipient.
Nonmaleficence, on the other hand, is often the opposite of beneficence, and this principle affirms the demand for medical competence (McCormick, 2012). For example, in relation to the ethical dilemma, providing certain information regarding organ donation to the patient may be harmful and to the patient and deter the willingness to make the donation which will be deleterious to the recipient. This requires care provider to hide some information from the patient and in most cases the family in order to obtain a truly informed consent for the organ donation (Lawrence, 2009).
How Does this Dilemma Affect Nursing
It is any healthcare professional’s responsibility to give patients holistic care and provide the option of donation to all the affected relatives. For example, in this nurses may not discuss issues regarding donations with relative as they fear delaying funerals, patient disfigurements, and religious misconceptions even though sharing such information may be beneficial. Nurse commitment is often to those in their care and including the greater society. This commitment requires the provision safe, competent, and ethical care. However, in cases where organ donations are involved, nurses may at times be required to provide or withhold certain information that may be crucial to the patient and or the family in an attempt to uphold the professional commitment. Howe...