title: Effect of transplant education on nurses' attitudes toward organ donation and plans to work with transplant patients.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Despite the increase in rates of solid organ transplantation in the past 2 decades, nurses are inconsistently educated regarding issues of organ donation and posttransplant care.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To characterize the attitudes of registered nurses before and after a graduate-level elective on issues in transplantation.
  
  
  METHODS
  Pre-experimental, pretest and posttest interventional study.
  
  
  METHODS
  30 graduate students, who are registered nurses, who enrolled in a transplant elective at a university in the Southeastern United States.
  
  
  METHODS
  Investigator-designed survey tool consisting of 18 questions delivered in an electronic format.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Statistically significant results were seen in nurses' attitudes toward encouraging others to become organ donors (P = .04), preparation to discuss transplantation with others (P< .001), advocacy to discuss transplantation among colleagues (P = .003), confidence in working with transplant patients (P = .005), confidence in speaking to communities about organ donation (P = .001), and plans to encourage others to get involved in transplantation (P = .03).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These results support the need for providing focused education on transplantation issues to registered nurses, particularly in the academic setting.
authors.affiliation: University of Alabama, Huntsville Vanderbilt University Transplant Center, Nashville, Tennessee, USA. haley.hoy@vanderbilt.edu
authors.forename: Haley
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Hoy
authors.forename: Susan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Alexander
authors.forename: Karen H
authors.initials: KH
authors.lastname: Frith
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000407:Alabama; D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D020375:Education, Distance; D004511:Education, Nursing, Graduate; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D016377:Organ Transplantation / Q000451:nursing*; D010865:Pilot Projects