The nurse's role in promoting the rights of donor families.

The critical care nurse is a vital link in the referral of organ donors and, thus, is the determining factor in the number of patients that will receive organ transplants. The process of referring a potential donor to OPOs should be as convenient as possible. It was the goal of this article to explain the referral process of organ donors and, more important, to communicate the dedication and availability of all OPO staff to the critical care nurse. Donor families have repeatedly stated that having the option of organ donation offered to them at one of their most difficult times helped them take something positive away from their loved one's death. This option can occur only when the critical care nurse is an active participant in the organ procurement process.