REPRESENTACIONES SOCIALES ACERCA DE LA DONACIÓN DE ÓRGANOS EN ENFERMEROS DE UNA UNIDAD DE PACIENTE CRÍTICO

Abstract

Chile has one of the lowest organ donation rates in the world, seven donors per million. The aim of this research is to understand the social representations of nurses working in a critical care unit in relation to organ donation. This research is a qualitative study with a Grounded Theory perspective. Data from interviews with professional nurses was collected, transcribed and coded. Data was then grouped into eleven categories in three main families: the feelings about organ donation, organ donation knowledge and the management of the process of organ donation. It was determined that the organ procurement process is complex due to various reasons expressed by the professionals interviewed, which sometimes condition the response given by the donor's relatives. Nurses has different feelings about organ donation; however, they recognize its importance, viewing it as a chance of survival.