Impact of Death Work Competence on Emergency Nurses' Perspectives in the Organ Donation Process.

Abstract

Background and aims: Deceased organ donation is a vital but underutilized solution to the global organ shortage. As frontline responders, emergency nurses are pivotal to the donation process; however, their involvement may be limited by their death work competence or their ability to manage the complexities of end-of-life care. This study explores the relationship between death work competence and emergency nurses' perspectives on organ donation, specifically focusing on their knowledge, attitudes, and communication readiness.

Patients and methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted among 107 emergency nurses in a North Indian teaching hospital. Data were collected using a structured self-administered questionnaire and the Self-Competence in Death Work Scale (SC-DWS). Descriptive and correlational analyses were performed to examine associations between knowledge, attitudes, and self-competence.

Results: Most participants supported organ donation (97.4%), and 69.2% had considered donor registration. Nurses demonstrated moderate knowledge (mean 8.41 ± 1.53) and attitudes (mean 6.21 ± 1.36), with overall moderate death work competence (mean 55.21 ± 9.13). A significant positive correlation was observed between knowledge and death work competence (r = 0.296, p = 0.009), suggesting that higher competence enhances understanding and positive perspectives toward organ donation.

Conclusion: Death work competence seems to influence emergency nurses' perspectives and readiness to engage in organ donation discussions.

How to cite this article: Jose S, Cyriac MC, Dhandapani M, Gayathri PV. Impact of Death Work Competence on Emergency Nurses' Perspectives in the Organ Donation Process. Indian J Crit Care Med 2026;30(2):134-139.