Interactions between health care personnel and parents approached for organ and/or tissue donation: influences on parents' adjustment to loss

Abstract

Context: The effect of loss on those approached for organ and/or tissue donation, particularly in the years thereafter, has received little attention.

Objective: To assess whether adjustment of a parent to loss of a child is influenced by interactions with health care personnel.

Methods: A self-administered questionnaire was completed by the parents of 216 decedents. Interactions in the hospital were assessed by examining the experience in the hospital, physical separation from the child, and the relationship with health care professionals. Adjustment to loss was defined by 4 components: grief, personal growth after loss, meaning of life after loss, and the meaning of organ donation.

Results: A positive experience in the hospital was significantly associated with the meaning of donation. Increased satisfaction with the separation process was associated with better adjustment on all components. Finally, a better relationship with health care professionals was associated with less grief and with greater personal growth. These results were characterized after adjustment for time since loss, which was from 6 months to 27 years.

Conclusions: Interactions in the hospital appear to influence adjustment to loss significantly. Appropriate interventions may aid parents in their adjustment to life.