title: Perioperative nurses' attitudes towards organ procurement: a systematic review.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To explore and evaluate perioperative nurses' experience of organ procurement.
  
  
  BACKGROUND
  Organ procurement is part of the organ donation process, and is typically performed in the perioperative setting. This experience may contribute to perioperative nurses' feelings of distress and negative attitudes towards organ donation.
  
  
  METHODS
  Systematic review of the literature.
  
  
  METHODS
  Primary research studies, published in the English language between 1990-2014 were identified, screened and appraised using Joanna Briggs Institute appraisal tools. Data extraction and analysis followed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The quality assessment resulted in seven qualitative and three quantitative research studies. The main findings were: (1) Perioperative nurses reported feeling emotionally distressed, challenged, lonely and physically drained throughout the entire organ procurement procedure. (2) Perioperative nurses reported finding their own unique self-coping strategies and ways of eliciting support. (3) Perioperative nurses had positive and negative attitudes towards organ donation.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Perioperative nurses reported feelings of sadness, feeling challenged and physically drained through the entire organ procurement procedure, which were influenced by differing factors in the preoperative, intraoperative and postoperative stages. It is acknowledged that personal coping strategies and support are important to help perioperative nurses improve their psychological well-being, and their experiences and attitudes towards organ procurement and donation. The meaningfulness of these findings for practice policy and research is described.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Perioperative nurses play a vital role in the organ procurement procedure and require ongoing support to ensure their psychological welfare, in particular, newly qualified or inexperienced nurses' participating in organ procurement.
authors.affiliation: Monash University and Peninsula Health, Frankston, Vic., Australia.
authors.forename: Weili
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Gao
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Medicine, Nursing and Health Science, Monash University and Peninsula Health, Frankston, Vic., Australia.
authors.forename: Virginia
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Plummer
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Medicine, Nursing and Health Science, Monash University, Clayton, Vic., Australia.
authors.forename: Allison
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Williams
mesh_terms: D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D002055:Burnout, Professional / Q000523:psychology; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006801:Humans; D009726:Nurses / Q000523:psychology*; D013527:Perioperative Nursing; D009927:Tissue and Organ Procurement
keywords: attitude; experience; organ procurement; perioperative nursing; systematic review