While technological advances in immunology and surgery have permitted rapid increases in the number of homotransplantations now performed, little is known about layman’s attitudes toward donation of organs. Implicit in such progress has been the medical field's assumption that enough donor organs will be forthcoming to meet the increasing demand. In order to research this area a dual emphasis on practical and theoretical issues was employed. The purpose of the present study then, was to investigate this medical assumption by sampling the attitudes and behavior of college students toward donation of organs for transplant purposes, and at the same time, to clarify some of the methodological issues resident in attitude research. The following experimental hypothesis was tested: individuals who express positive or negative attitudes toward organ donation, as measured on an attitude scale, behave in a manner consistent with their attitudes, behavior being measured by statements of intention and by behavioral commitment responses. A Likert-type summated rating scale was developed and utilized as the attitude measuring instrument in the study. A split-half reliability coefficient of .95 and a test-retest reliability of .94 were obtained. A test battery containing the attitude scale, a demographic questionnaire, a social desirability scale and an information test was administered to 389 college students in their classrooms. The validity study utilized two behavioral indices: 1) behavioral intent statements which were gathered following completion of the test battery, and 2) behavioral commitment responses as obtained in individual interviews. The second criterion involved 100 telephone interviews which took place from six to ten weeks after classroom testing. An additional 20 Ss followed up with personal interviews. Both criteria measures constituted Guttman scales. Several secondary issues were investigated. 1. As attitude scales have routinely been validated by use of signed behavioral intent statements the effect of anonymity was examined. Of the total number of Ss participating in the test battery 86 were requested to sign the intent statements; all others were anonymously filled out. 2. In order to evaluate any sensitizing effect on behavioral commitment responses, one-half of those Ss ticipating in the individual interviews had not received any testing in the classroom situation. 3. The Marlowe-Crowne Social Desirability Scale was used to control or the effect of social norms on attitude and behavioral scale scores in approval dependent individuals. 4. An information test was incorporated into the test battery to ascertain the relationship between cognition, affect and behavior. The major results lent strong support to the experimental hypothesis; Ss did tend to behave in a manner consistent with their measured attitudes. Validity coefficients of .38 (attitude and behavioral intent statements), .58 (attitude and behavioral commitment responses) and .64 (composite prediction) suggested that under certain conditions predictive salience can be obtained from attitude scale scores. With regard to the secondary measures, no significant effects were found for anonymity, pretest sensitization, or social desirability. There was some evidence which suggested a relationship between level of information and attitude; however, the results were not conclusive. Empirical findings did support the medical supposition that some people at least (i.e., college students) will be favorably disposed toward posthumous organ donation. Twenty percent of those Ss contacted made a substantial commitment. Further research is planned in order to gain normative data on more representative samples of the total population.

A method for preserving transplant organs for extended periods of time has been developed in the transplant organ preservation cooler. The preservation cooler enhances organ viability by maintaining a temperature controlled organ bath and pumping perfusate through the transplant organ. The emphasis on the transplant organ preservation cooler is to provide a simple and portable system which will be powered by boiled off oxygen from a liquid oxygen source. The design of the preservation cooler pump and temperature control system are presented. Results of tests proving the successful operation of the preservation cooler prototype are also presented. / Master of Science

M.Cur. (Intensive General Nursing) / Knowledge and technological advancement in the field of transplantation has increased the demand for organ donation. However, the supply of organs does not meet this demand, especially, among the black communities. Literature reviewed associate this imbalance with the few sources of organs, the technique of organ retrieval, discrepancies in the allocation of organs and sociocultural factors. The aim of this study was to investigate the extent to which the Zulu cultural norms and social structural dimensions influence an individual's decision to donate an organ or to undergo a transplantation, based on the theoretical assumptions of Leininger and Chrisman. A qualitative approach using an ethno- nursing method was selected, semi-structured interviews were conducted with the transplant co-ordinator representing the professional sector, the religious leaders and traditional healers representing the folk sector and the general public representing the popular sector of the health care system. The respondents were extracted from both the urban and rural settings. The conclusions arrived at were that there is lack of knowledge among the Zulu speaking people on organ donation and transplantation, related mainly to misconceptions associated with their life patterns, beliefs about death, burial and life hereafter, values and social structural dimensions. The recommendations with regard to the promotion of organ donation and transplantation among the Zulu speaking people were made based on culture sensitive and culture congruent principles, namely: • Cultural care preservative or maintenance such as ancestor worship, extended families etc. • Cultural care accommodation or negotiation such as their knowledge of anatomy and physiology of the human body especially the transplantable organs and their fear to discuss death, etc. • Cultural care repatterning and restructuring such as culture sensitive educational campaigns to dispel the fears and correct misconceptions.

Study Purpose and Rationale The United States is witnessing growth in its aging population and an increase in the prevalence of end-stage renal disease, resulting in a substantial rise in kidney transplantation among adults age 65 and over. While older adult recipients fare better clinically than their counterparts on dialysis, far less is known about their psychosocial wellbeing following transplantation. A small body of qualitative work in organ transplantation suggests that there is an important period of adaptation following transplantation during which a recipient must incorporate the new organ into his or her sense of identity and bodily integrity. Difficulty navigating the adaptation process can have significant adverse effects on psychosocial and clinical outcomes, in extreme cases resulting in graft loss and even death. Employing a phenomenological approach, this study sought to better understand the lived experience of older adult kidney transplant recipients and the impact of kidney transplantation on their sense of identity and bodily integrity, with implications for the design of effective supports and interventions to optimize post-transplant mental health and wellbeing. Methods Applying the hermeneutic phenomenology of philosopher Paul Ricoeur, this study explored the lived experience of 10 kidney transplant recipients age 65 and over. Participants completed one to two in-depth phenomenological interviews lasting approximately one hour each. Interview transcripts and field notes were analyzed using an inductive approach, beginning with an epoché (bracketing) phase and followed by the processes of phenomenological reduction (textured description), imaginative variation (structured description) and synthesis to arrive at an understanding or approximation of the universal essence of the phenomenon of adapting to a kidney transplant. Findings Participants reported experiencing the “strangeness” of incorporating the organ of another person into their own body and concern over specific corporeal changes associated with dialysis and transplantation, expressing a disruption of their ‘idem’ sense of identity that ranged from mildly unsettling to deeply distressing. However, participants also articulated powerful narratives of resilience and coping, describing their ability to overcome adversity as an anchor of their ‘ipse’ sense of identity that allowed them to navigate idem corporeal changes over time. The continuity and strength of participants’ ipse sense of self over the life course enabled them to adjust to profound corporeal change, and for some participants kidney transplantation represented a form of liberation from ‘machine life’ (dialysis) and restoration of their idem sense of self. Conclusions/Implications Findings from this study have significant implications for ensuring the provision of optimal support to older adult kidney transplant recipients. A more nuanced understanding of the post-transplant experience of adapting to a new organ will enhance the informed consent process, providing the opportunity for transplant teams, potential recipients and their caregivers to engage in meaningful dialogue about the risks and benefits of the procedure and helping to establish expectations for post-transplant recovery. By shedding light on older adult recipients’ perspectives, findings also will help to inform the design of future research studies addressing candidacy for transplantation and post-transplant quality of life. Furthermore, study results will assist transplant teams in determining how to optimize post-transplant care and support for older adult recipients, thereby improving outcomes and contributing to the overall wellbeing of this population. Finally, the findings have implications for ongoing policy discussions in the field, including how to ensure equitable patient selection by establishing appropriate age-related criteria for kidney transplant recipients.

The numbers of transplant surgeries continue to rise in the U.S. This results in a greater number of caregivers who are present in the recipients' lives. Most often these caregivers are spouses. Transplant spouses present with emotional needs, which have been expressed in this study. Nurses, especially those who work with the spouses of transplant candidates and recipients, could be appreciative of the requirements that have been told by these spouses. Six women and two men were interviewed for this study. Their stories were analyzed using a phenomenological approach and five themes emerged from the data. The themes that surfaced included uncertainty, support, thankfulness and a positive approach, intimacy and the relationship as a couple, and guilt. Two general structures then evolved from these themes to include adaptation and belief in self and others. The general structures revealed the ways the spouses learned to live during the transplant journey. / by Jo Anne Stecher. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2009. / Includes bibliography. / Electronic reproduction. Boca Raton, Fla., 2009. Mode of access: World Wide Web.

Abstract not available

Thesis (Ph.D., Dept. of Religion and Political Philosophy)--Harvard University, 2004. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 309-327). Also available on the Internet.

Source: Masters Abstracts International, Volume: 47-06, page: 3444. Advisers: Janet S. Butel; Linda B. Piller. Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (Ph.D.)--Brown University, 2008. / Vita. Advisor: Walter J. Atwood. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 172-175).

Thesis (M.A.)--Denver Seminary, 1997. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves [115]-122).