Understanding Organ and Tissue Donation - The GIVE Trigger

What is this article about?

For those Australians facing chronic illness, disability and death, organ and tissue donation is a well-established means of effective treatment. Yet, despite recent advances and reforms that have resulted in strong growth in donation rates, the demand for donors continues to exceed availability. Transplantable organs can be the heart, lungs, kidneys, liver, pancreas and pancreas islet, and possible donation tissues include heart valves and other heart tissue, musculoskeletal tissue, skin and parts of the eye. Nurses have the power and responsibility to be an advocate for their patients and their loved ones, as well as future donor recipients, by knowing when to refer any potential donors on to relevant teams.