Psychological principles in regard to the interview with the deceased donor's family.

Abstract

The purpose of this article is to present the most important rules of the interview process with the family of a patient who has been diagnosed with brain death. Based on data from the literature and their own clinical experience, the authors also describe the psychological mechanisms that make contact with the family of a potential donor particularly difficult. The paper also discusses successive stages in the process of building contact with the family from the perspective of the dual advocacy approach that, in the light of recent data from the literature, can significantly increase the likelihood of the family's acceptance of organ donation, offering both the specific theoretical foundations as well as the strict principles in regard to the interview. The article contains practical suggestions for dealing with difficulties that can arise at all stages of contact with the family: making contact, providing information, providing information about brain death and talking with the family about organ donation from a deceased relative.