The gift of life : -experiences of the kidney donation process

Background: There are many people waiting for a kidney transplant. To get a kidney from a living donor has many advantages. The gift is about giving and receiving. The decision is characterized by life-philosophy of the donor. Aim: To highlight the experiences of the kidney donation process. Methods...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Sandholst, Malin, Sandahl, Helén
Format: Others
Language:Swedish
Published: Linnéuniversitetet, Institutionen för hälso- och vårdvetenskap, HV 2011
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Online Access:http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:lnu:diva-16682
Description
Summary:Background: There are many people waiting for a kidney transplant. To get a kidney from a living donor has many advantages. The gift is about giving and receiving. The decision is characterized by life-philosophy of the donor. Aim: To highlight the experiences of the kidney donation process. Methods: A systematic literature review in which 11 articles were included, seven qualitative and four quantitative. The articles are quality and ethically reviewed, the results are analyzed according Granskär & Höglund and Polit & Beck. Results: The results were gathered under two themes: the decision-process shows the path from idea to decision and implementation-process treats the donation and confirmation of the gift. The results indicate that the donation process is a complex experience for the donor. Many emotions are involved,  no feeling is right or wrong. It is mainly out of concern that living donations are carried out and a sense of strong validation for the donor to give the gift of life. Conclusion: Giving the gift of life, a piece of oneself, out of altruism and solicitude for one another according Martinsens philosophy of caring will provide a confirmation and satisfaction with life-long perspective of the donor.