scholarly journals Promoting organ donation through Basic Life Support Training –outcomes from the #conversations study.

Author(s):  
Caroline Wroe ◽  
Natasha Newell ◽  
Yitka Graham ◽  
Marcus Diamond ◽  
Michael O'Malley ◽  
...  

Abstract Background: More than 6000 people are waiting for an organ transplant in the UK. Although a recent change in organ donor legislation to an opt out system is hoped to address this disparity expert review highlights that ‘opt out’ is only one of several factors that impact organ donation rates. Studies show that ethnicity, religion and cultural influences impact opinions towards organ donation. The importance of education is well established and interpersonal educational interventions have been shown to be more effective than mass media approaches to changing behaviour around organ donation. This study evaluates the impact of an educational intervention delivered with Basic Life Support training prior to the change in legislation to positively influence views on organ donation.Methods: An educational film promoting organ donation was developed from patient’s stories, evaluated, reviewed and embedded into BLS training. All staff attending BLS training were invited to participate in the study, complete a baseline survey, watch the film and complete another survey 3-5 working days after the training.Results: During the study period 338 attended BLS training, 8 out of 10 agreed to participate in the study, 6 out of 10 stayed behaving for the intervention and 3 out of 10 completed all stages of the study. Support for organ donation was almost universal in the baseline survey and of those who completed the study, >9 out of 10 felt the intervention had helped them understand the need for organ donation and 1 in 2 had subsequently discussed organ donation with their family and friends. 1 in 4 did not support the forthcoming change in organ donation legislation.Conclusions: A brief targeted intervention delivered through BLS training is effective in promoting discussion and improves support for organ donation. The mandatory nature of BLS training reduces bias in engagement and offers huge potential for delivery of a limited intervention around organ donation at pace and scale. Further understanding of NHS staff awareness of and opinions to the change in organ donation legislation is warranted. Trial Registration#conversations was prospectively registered with the ISRCTN on 23/01/2019.ISRCTN 36338010IRAS project ID 233611

2020 ◽  
Vol 20 (2) ◽  
pp. 155-166
Author(s):  
Jordan A. Parsons ◽  
Greg Moorlock

Following several international examples, England introduced a system of deemed consent for organ donation in May 2020. This had been planned for over a year. However, the unprecedented circumstances of the COVID-19 pandemic raise issues that make the timing of this change unfortunate. The planned public awareness campaign has thus far been overshadowed by media coverage of the pandemic, and will likely continue to be, creating a situation in which a significant portion of the population may be unaware of having become potential organ donors. Further, the immediate impact of the new policy is likely to be significantly weakened by the suspension of the majority of organ donation and transplant activity. In this article, we first outline the details of the new model introduced in England, before considering the impact of the pandemic on transplantation services. We put forward three ethical reasons why, given the unprecedented circumstances, the change should have been postponed. We argue that (1) COVID-19 dominating headlines will prevent widespread awareness of the change, thereby undermining the autonomy of those who do not wish to be donors; (2) a lack of transplant activity during the pandemic will make the impact of the change difficult to measure; and (3) trust in the new system may be damaged given controversial decisions regarding Do Not Attempt Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation orders and the allocation of scarce intensive care resources. These reasons combined make for a shaky start at best and present a risk of the new system failing to achieve its desired and essential effect of increasing the number of voluntary organ donors.


BMJ Open ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (4) ◽  
pp. e025159 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jane Noyes ◽  
Leah McLaughlin ◽  
Karen Morgan ◽  
Philip Walton ◽  
Rebecca Curtis ◽  
...  

ObjectivesTo determine the short-term impact of a soft opt-out organ donation system on consent rates and donor numbers.DesignBefore and after observational study using bespoke routinely collected data.SettingNational Health Service Blood and Transplant.Participants205 potential organ donor cases in Wales.InterventionsThe Act and implementation strategy.Primary and secondary outcomesConsent rates at 18 months post implementation compared with 3 previous years, and organ donor numbers 21 months before and after implementation. Changes in organ donor register activity post implementation for 18 months.ResultsThe consent rate for all modes of consent was 61.0% (125/205), showing a recovery from the dip to 45.8% in 2014/2015. 22.4% (46/205) were deemed consented donors: consent rate 60.8% (28/46). Compared with the 3 years before the switch there was a significant difference in Welsh consent rates (χ2 p value=0.009). Over the same time period, rest of the UK consent rates also significantly increased from 58.6% (5256/8969) to 63.1% (2913/4614) (χ2 p value<0.0001), therefore the Wales increase cannot be attributed to the Welsh legislation change. Deceased donors did not increase: 101 compared with 104. Organ donation registration increased from 34% to 38% with 6% registering to opt-out.ConclusionThis is the first rigorous initial evaluation with bespoke data collected on all cases. The longer-term impact on consent rates and donor numbers is unclear. Concerns about a potential backlash and mass opting out were not realised. The move to a soft opt-out system has not resulted in a step change in organ donation behaviour, but can be seen as the first step of a longer journey. Policymakers should not assume that soft opt-out systems by themselves simply need more time to have a meaningful effect. Ongoing interventions to further enhance implementation and the public’s understanding of organ donation are needed to reach the 2020 target of 80% consent rates. Further longitudinal monitoring is required.


2016 ◽  
Vol 45 ◽  
pp. 163-166 ◽  
Author(s):  
Matthew Johnson ◽  
Amanda Peat ◽  
Leanne Boyd ◽  
Tanya Warren ◽  
Kathryn Eastwood ◽  
...  

2021 ◽  
Vol 3 (2) ◽  
pp. 218-223
Author(s):  
Jean C Uwimana

Background: The purpose of BLS is to maintain adequate ventilation and circulation until a means can be used to reverse the underlying cause of cardiac arrest.Worse outcomes are obtained when BLS is being done by non-trained persons. Objectives: To assess the knowledge of BLS among KIBOGORA district hospital staff and the impact of BLS training on retaining BLS skills among clinical and non-clinical KIBOGORA hospital staff. Materials and Methods: This pilot study was conducted in KIBOGORA hospital. A pre training test was given to every participant and after the training, a posttest was given to all participants. Before completing the pretest questionnaire, each participant had to choose a code made of at least 2 characters and the same code had to appear on the posttest questionnaire of the same participant. A grading system was used to categorize the level of participants’ knowledge on BLS skills. Results: Among 196 trained staff, 40 completed the pre training questionnaire .82.50 % of the subjects that completed the pre training questionnaire were clinical staff whereas 17.50% were non clinical staff. 54.55% and 33.33% of the clinical staff had respectively poor and fair knowledge on Basic Life Support (BLS) and only 6.06% were good at BLS however none of clinical staff was very good or excellent on BLS. All of the non-clinical staff that participated in the study had either a poor or fair knowledge on BLS. After the training, both clinical and non-clinical staff that completed the pre-training questionnaire, completed the post training questionnaire.30.30% of clinical staff that completed the questionnaire were good on BLS.The number of participants with an average or fair knowledge on BLSwere 27.27% in each category. 6.06% and 3.03% were excellent or very good on Basic Life Support. On the other hand, 42.86% and 28.57% of non-clinical staff had respectively poor and fair knowledge on BLS. Conclusion: After the training, knowledge on BLS improved both for clinical and non-clinical staff however more refresher courses are needed to reduce the gap seen in theoretical knowledge as well as practical skills


Author(s):  
Stirparo Giuseppe ◽  
Lorenzo Bellini ◽  
Nazzareno Fagoni ◽  
Salvatore Compatti ◽  
Marco Botteri ◽  
...  

Abstract Background: during the COVID-19 pandemic a total lockdown was enforced all over Italy starting on March 9th. This resulted in the shrinking of economic activities. In addition, all formal occupational security-training courses were halted, among them the 81/08 law lectures and Basic Life Support-Defibrillation (BLS-D) laymen training courses. The aim of the study was to evaluate the impact of the pandemic on BLS-D laymen training courses in the Lombardy region. Methods: BLS-D training courses records for the Lombardy region were analysed. The analysis was conducted from 2016 to 2020 as part of the Hippo project. Results: between 2017 and 2019 BLS-D trained laymen kept increasing, moving from 53,500 trained individuals up to 74,700. In 2020 a stark reduction was observed with only 22,160 individuals trained. Formal courses were not halted completely during 2020. Still, in the months available for training, the number of individuals enrolled showed a sharp 50% reduction. Conclusions: laymen training courses for emergency management are a fundamental component of primary prevention practice. The 81/08 and 158/12 Italian laws have decreed this practice mandatory on the workplace. Following the enforcement of the lockdown and the subsequent interruption of emergency management courses, efforts will be necessary to re-establish and guarantee the high quality training of the pre-pandemic period.


PEDIATRICS ◽  
1993 ◽  
Vol 91 (1) ◽  
pp. 158-159
Author(s):  

The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that high school students receive training in Basic Life Support (BLS) and Pediatric Basic Life Support (PBLS) as part of their health education program. The skills taught, such as recognition of symptoms, establishment of an airway, and rescue breathing, will help prepare students to deal with individuals who need their assistance due to aspiration or cardiorespiratory emergencies. Individual efforts using only BLS/PBLS skills can be effective in rescuing patients in these circumstances.1-3 Prompt initiation of cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) after early recognition of a cardiac arrest has limited success alone. This education must be supported by a community emergency response system. Immediate CPR coupled with access to the community emergency response team maximizes the impact of school education programs.4,5 School-based programs have been successful in training students to have BLS skills.6,7 The Academy does not expect that BLS/PBLS training will prepare students for all emergencies, nor does it intend that students should be made to believe they are solely responsible for rescuing victims or for the survival of individuals with life-threatening events in their school or community. Younger students should be reassured that their responsibility is limited during emergency events, particularly when adults are available. In addition to the potential benefits of BLS/PBLS, a realistic perspective of resuscitation abilities as only a link in the "chain of survival" should be provided. The limitations of BLS/PBLS and of all emergency services on the eventual outcome of cardiac arrests also should be explained.8 Students should be given information about avoiding the acquisition of transmissible diseases during CPR.


2019 ◽  
Vol 86 (4) ◽  
pp. 327-334
Author(s):  
Stephen Doran

Organ donation is rightly understood as a gift that is a genuine act of love. Organ donation as an act of love requires it to be an act of freedom that honors the integrity of the human person who is in the process of dying. However, the process of organ donation, by necessity, inserts a third party of interest whose primary aim is to assist someone other than the dying person. Caregivers can become “organ focused” instead of “patient focused.” The procurement of organs potentially results in the commodification of the potential organ donor. Furthermore, death is not a momentary event but rather an ontological change in the person where the union of body and soul becomes divided. This Catholic understanding of death is important to assess the impact of organ donation on the process of dying. Family members of organ donors often have traumatic memories associated with the organ donation process, potentially overshadowing the ars moriendi—the art of dying. Summary: While organ donation is an act of love, the donation process can be distraction from the care of the dying patient, who may be treated differently than other dying patients who are not organ donors. A Catholic understanding of death is helpful in assessing the impact of the organ donation process.


2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (Supplement_1) ◽  
Author(s):  
C Parisis ◽  
A Bouletis ◽  
K Chatzidimitriou ◽  
DD Palla ◽  
P Makri ◽  
...  

Abstract Funding Acknowledgements Type of funding sources: None. Background Sudden cardiac death is one of the main issues worldwide, with more than 700.000 deaths annually. It is strongly believed that the implementation of "Kids Save Lives" project in schools can change this situation. The Kids Save Lives initiative, endorsed by the World Health Organization in 2015, is teaching school children worldwide about the importance of CPR and how to perform it. In Greece this project is a suggestion of Ministry of Education to schools. Purpose Τo evaluate the level of theoretical knowledge, willingness to perform Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and active skills of Greek secondary school students on the subject of Basic life Support before and after a "Kids Save Lives" program. Material – Method: Data collection took place on the academic periods of 2017-2018 and 2018-2019 and was performed in secondary schools of Thessaly’s region. A total of 5092 students (51,9% female, mean age 14.2 years) participated on the "Kids save Lives" program according to the European Resuscitation Council (ERC) and World Health Organization (WHO) statement. A 12 point questionnaire was answered by the students before and after completing the "kid saves lives" program, while practical skills were evaluated on manikins by experienced ERC Basic Life Support (BLS) Instructors. Results The training improves significantly the theoretical knowledge regarding Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), with the percentage of correct answers being 48,4% and 82,8%,before and after the course respectively (p &lt; 0.001). The participants willingness to perform bystander CPR significantly increased after the completion of the course (93,7% before to 97,4% after, p &lt; 0.001). Almost all of the participants (98.9%) could recognize the correct position near the victim and 91% performed chin lift maneuver and recognized cardiac arrest. More than 90% of the students performed chest compressions with the correct rate and placing their hands on the center of the chest (90,1% and 93.4%, respectively), whereas only 76.1% of the participants achieved the desired compression depth of 5 to 6 cm. Conclusions The overall results strongly recommend that the "Kids Save Lives" program can boost prospects for bystander CPR and indicate the necessity of implementation in a greater scale nationwide.


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