Du andas, ditt hjärta slår. Är du verkligen död? : Organdonation ur intensivvårdssjuksköterskans perspektiv. En systematisk litteraturstudie

Sammanfattning: Abstract Background: When life-sustaining treatment is no longer possible, the patient may become a candidate for organ donation. A patient can only be declared dead when the brain and all its functions have completely and irreversibly disappeared. The care of the patient shifts from a lifesaving aim to organ-preserving treatment, which is a change for both healthcare staff and relatives. The intensive care nurse is responsible for the care of the patient in the donation process, which means that the intensive care nurse is the profession that has several challenges. Due to this, the author of the studies wishes to describe intensive care nurses' experiences of caring for patients who are eligible for organ donation. Purpose: To describe intensive care nurses' experiences of caring for patients who are eligible for organ donation. Method: A systematic literature study of qualitative design. Nine articles from the databases CINAHL and PubMed have been included and articles processed based on a thematic analysis generated in four themes. Results: Four themes have emerged in the study results based on the purpose of the study. These are "Emotional challenges", "Care of the patient and their relatives", "Collaboration in a team" and "Knowledge of caring for a donor patient". Conclusion: The donation process as well as the care of a donor patient pose great challenges for intensive care nurses. The intensive care nurses are exposed to emotional challenges at the same time as they believe that the knowledge of caring for this patient category is deficient. Despite these influencing aspects, the intensive care nurses collaborate in the team around a donor patient and also provide a supportive function to relatives, something that the intensive care nurses found to be both challenging and rewarding. Keywords: Brain death, Circulatory death, Experience, Intensive care nurse, Organ donation