Patient, caregiver and physician perspectives on participating in a thoracic rapid tissue donation program.
Gwendolyn P Quinn, Rebecca D Pentz, Teresita Muñoz-Antonia and 12 others
PMID 29195718WHAT IT FOUND
Lung cancer patients and families who discussed a post-death tissue donation program mostly had no major concerns; they wanted clear process information, family notification, and recognition.
Physicians were satisfied but needed help identifying eligible patients.
Key findings
01Patients joined mainly to contribute to cancer research and give back, and about half of patients had been organ donors and saw this as another way to fulfill that commitment.
02Most patients and next of kin had no significant concerns, but some asked about tissue removal, timing, death notification, and funeral arrangements.
03Physicians were pleased with the program and suggested notifying nurses with eligible patient lists and keeping donation brochures in patient files.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
The study did not include patients who declined the rapid tissue donation program, so it does not capture their reasons. It was conducted at one cancer center, so the views may reflect that institution's staff and culture. The consent form did not allow families to receive specific information about studies using donated tissue; they received only general information. Next of kin demographics were not collected, and some patients were not interviewed because they declined or died before interview. The study reports perceptions, not clinical outcomes or tissue retrieval results.
Declared interests
No conflicts of interest were declared. The article is listed as NIH extramural research support.
The easy way to misread this
Do not read these perceptions as evidence that rapid tissue donation improves patient outcomes. The study interviewed consenting patients, families, and physicians at one center, and tissue retrieval results were not reported here.