RN Donation Champion Program

INDUSTRY | NON-PROFIT

Develop a hospital donation advocacy program to scale up donation expertise in the ICU and provide peer support before, during, and after organ donation cases.

LifeCenter Northwest (LCNW) serves Washington, Montana, Alaska, and Northern Idaho as the federally designated organ procurement organization. LCNW works closely with more than 200 partner hospitals to maximize donation opportunities to save and improve more lives across the region.

The challenge

There are over 100,000 people on the national transplant list and 20 people die every day waiting. Without close collaboration between hospitals and Organ Procurement Organizations (OPOs), transplants are not possible. OPOs depend on early referral calls from hospitals and timely ongoing communication. Education regarding the donation process and a trusting partnership are key to preserving donation opportunities and ensuring compassionate care to families during end of life.

The solution

I established the Nurse Champion Donation Training program, in partnership with a colleague, to enhance the nursing team's expertise and promote greater support and understanding of the organ donation process.

We collaborated with the hospital’s education department to secure approval of continuing education credits for the two-day program. We secured dynamic speakers for each seminar including transplant surgeons, ICU physicians, transplant social workers, clinical donation nurse coordinators, and donor family members. The program was held quarterly at the Harborview Medical Center in Seattle, and consistently met capacity clinical staff from surrounding hospitals were all invited to attend.

Upon completion of the training, participants became advocates for organ donation and were recognized as experts in their units. The program aimed to strengthen partnerships and improve communication between hospital staff and OPO staff, ultimately leading to better patient outcomes in the donation process.

The results

The RN Donation Champion program resulted in improved relationships with donation teams and ICU teams in hospitals that participated leading to both direct and indirect impacts on donation outcomes.

• Advanced Seattle Children’s Hospital organ donation performance more than 200% within 2 years by cultivating relationships and partnerships with enhanced nurse and physician engagement.

• Advanced a rapid donation pathway for families needing to overcome time constraints.

• Optimized the donation experience for ICU staff, OR staff, and other ancillary staff, leading to a more positive experience for donor families.

• Opened registration to residents and other ICU physicians.