| It's unclear if hospitals correctly refer all potential organ donors to Organ Procurement Organizations. Unidentified or mis-referred patients may be present in rural acute care Appalachian hospitals. A one-year nonexperimental retrospective descriptive study was used to review medical records in one rural Appalachian hospital. Data from the chart review indicated that of the total (n = 34) patients, sixty-eight percent (n = 23) were properly referred as cardiac standstill and six percent (n = 2) were properly reported as brain dead. However, nine percent (n = 3) were not referred to the OPO (unidentified). Eighteen percent ( n = 6) were found to be potentially suitable for organ donation but reported as cardiac standstill (mis-referred). Findings indicate potential brain death patients are misidentified or un-referred to the Organ Procurement Organization in this rural Appalachian acute care hospital. Potential organ donor and brain death educational development opportunities were identified. |
