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Abstract
Initially viewed as doubtful and plagued with uncertainty, the process of organ/tissue transplantation has proved to be one of the most successful medical breakthroughs of modern medicine. From the initial documented success of organ/tissue donation and subsequent transplantation, the need for organ/tissue donation exceeds the available resources. Many individuals are aware of the need for organ/tissue donation for life-saving transplantation but do not take the necessary steps to become a donor or share that desire with family and/or loved ones. There are no national programs or efforts in place for standardized nursing education about organ/tissue donation and transplantation. The purpose of this quality improvement project was to increase nurses’ knowledge of the New England Organ Bank (NEOB) guidelines for organ and tissue donation. The project design was a pre-test, an educational program, and post-test. Twenty-two nurses completed the pre-test component (N=22, 63%) and fourteen nurses completed the post-test (N=14, 40%). Results indicated nurses had better overall better knowledge of organ donation then specifically tissue donation. Nursing staff demonstrated increased knowledge of NEOB guidelines and the nurse’s role in timely reporting after the educational program on organ donation with improved post-test over pre-test scores. Future replication of education related to NEOB guidelines for donation of organs and tissues and nurse responsibility for timely reporting should increase emphasis on the area of tissue donation. A need based assessment to determine specific areas of deficit may aid in promoting positive outcomes in future replication.