J Clin Ethics. 2024 Spring;35(1):70-75. doi: 10.1086/728145.
AbstractOrgan procurement organization (OPO) staff play an essential role in the facilitation of organ donation as they guide family members and loved ones of dying patients through the donation process. Throughout the donation process, OPO staff must assume the role of a dual advocate, considering both the interests of the donor (which often include the wishes of the donor's family) and the interests of potential recipient(s). The benefits of this role are well established; however, minimal literature exists on the ways this role can cause moral distress in OPO staff, who frequently face scenarios in which adhering to the wishes of a donor family may compromise donation potential but failing to honor donor family requests may result in further emotional burden for the family. Given the frequency with which these ethically complex situations exist during donation, OPO staff are at heightened risk for experiencing moral distress and burnout, yet they are seldom acknowledged in the existing moral distress literature. As a result, it is unclear whether the current practices available to mitigate moral distress are beneficial for this population.
摘要 器官获取组织 (OPO) 的工作人员在促进器官捐献方面发挥着至关重要的作用，他们指导濒临死亡的患者的家属和亲人完成捐献过程。在整个捐献过程中，OPO 工作人员必须扮演双重倡导者的角色，既要考虑供体的利益（其中通常包括供体家属的意愿），也要考虑潜在受者的利益。这一角色的好处已得到充分证实；然而，关于这一角色如何会给 OPO 工作人员带来道德困境的文献很少，他们经常面临这样的情况：遵守供体家属的意愿可能会损害捐献的可能性，但不尊重供体家属的请求可能会给他们带来更大的情感负担。鉴于在捐献过程中经常出现这种复杂的伦理情况，OPO 工作人员经历道德困境和倦怠的风险更高，但在现有的道德困境文献中很少得到承认。因此，目前用于减轻道德困境的做法是否对这一人群有益尚不清楚。
