The family meaning on organ donation

An analysis based on the symbolic interactionism

Abstract

Objective: to understand the meaning that the family gives to the experience of having consented to organ donation. Method: qualitative study, based on the theoretical framework of Symbolic Interactionism and the methodology of Grounded Theory. It was carried out with 14 family members who consented to the donation of multiple organs. Data collection took place between July and November 2019, through intensive interviews recorded and transcribed in full, in addition to a research diary. To form the sample groups, the criteria proposed by the Grounded Theory were followed. These groups were organized by the MAXQDA software, and, for their analysis, the first two stages of coding were used: open and focused. Results: an analytical process explaining the experience of the family that consented to the donation of a family member's organs through loss and grief emerged, resulting in the concept that guides a model of care: “Minimizing suffering by exercising solidarity”, supported by three categories: experiencing the impact of the diagnosis of brain death; motivating oneself to donate organs; and Meaning organ donation. Conclusion: the meanings that families gave to the experience of consenting to organ donation were understood, with the diagnosis of brain death and the time to complete the protocol associated with feelings of anguish, distress, and hope that death would not occur; to the body as an inviolable temple and to solidarity as a way of alleviating suffering and facing grief.