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“What is essential is invisible to the eye”

A focus group interview about spiritual attitudes and concerns with German healthcare professionals working in organ donation and transplantation“Das Wesentliche ist oftmals unsichtbar”: Ein Fokusgruppeninterview über spirituelle Einstellungen und Bedenken von deutschen Mitarbeitern in Organspende und Transplantation
  • Beate Mayr

    MSc, is a registered nurse and nurse educator with extensive professional experience in different fields. She completed a Master’s programme in Nursing at Cardiff University (UK). She works in research since 2013 and was involved in various research projects at the Professorship for Spiritual Care, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München (Clinic and Polyclinic for Palliative Care). Since 2016 she works as a research fellow at the Munich School of Philosophy.

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    , Eckhard Frick

    Prof. Dr. med., studied Medicine, Philosophy, and Theology. He is a psychiatrist and psychoanalyst, didactic analyst (C.G. Jung-Institute Munich) as well as Catholic priest. Frick teaches anthropology at the Munich School of Philosophy and Spiritual Care at the School of Medicine, Technische Universität München.

    , Niels Christian Hvidt

    Prof., is a Danish theologian and humanistic health researcher. From March 2013 – December 2014, he was Professor in the Chair for Spiritual Care at the Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München at the Clinic and Polyclinic for Palliative Care. In 2017 he was appointed Professor of Spiritual Care at the Research Unit of General Practice, University of South Denmark, Odense.

    , Thomas Breidenbach

    MD, PhD, is currently the Regional Director of Bavaria for the German Organ Transplantation Foundation. His interests include all aspects of organ donation and, more specifically, the topic of public information and communication. He is author of various publications and book chapters.

    , Nicole Erbe

    is a registered nurse with wide experience in different fields of medicine and nursing. She works a transplant coordinator for the German Foundation of Organ Transplant.

    , Dorothee Seidel

    Dr., is a physician and senior anaesthetist. Since 2007 she works as a medical transplant coordinator for the German Foundation of Organ Transplant.

    and Piret Paal

    PhD, is a medical anthropologist working on various themes regarding palliative care and spiritual care. Her particular field of interest is palliative care and spiritual care education. She works as WHO coordinator and researcher at the Paracelcus Medical University in Salzburg, Austria.

Published/Copyright: December 7, 2017

Abstract

Organ donation and transplantation (ODT) is a complex multi-professional clinical procedure. Healthcare professionals’ attitudes and concerns towards the procedure influence the entire process. A 3-hour interview with ODT staff (13 participants) was performed in order to explore ODT professionals’ spiritual attitudes and concerns. The interview was recorded and transcribed verbatim. All (sub)themes were directly derived from the data. The discussants expressed the following issues: (1) ethical considerations and barriers in ODT; (2) individual beliefs about death and afterlife; (3) dealings with patients, relatives and close ones; (4) lack of support for ODT staff; and (5) spiritual facilitators. The interview provided a list of themes that either explicitly or implicitly demonstrate spiritual attitudes and concerns which may influence procedures in ODT. The themes and subthemes formed the basis to design a questionnaire in order to initiate a more detailed investigation of a larger group of professionals.

Zusammenfassung

Organspende und –transplantation sind komplexe klinische Vorgänge, an denen viele Berufsgruppen beteiligt sind. Manche Mitarbeiter im Gesundheitswesen kommen eher mit dem Bereich der Organspende, den davon betroffenen Personengruppen (z. B. Angehörige potenzieller Spender) und den damit verbundenen Prozessen in Berührung. Andere arbeiten in ihrem Bereich mit häufig seit langer Zeit schwer kranken Personen, die auf eine Transplantation warten und – wenn ein geeignetes Organ zur Verfügung steht – schließlich transplantiert werden. Wieder andere, wie z. B. die Koordinatorinnen und Koordinatoren der Deutschen Stiftung Organtransplantation lernen beide Seite dieser Arbeit kennen. Die innere Einstellung und damit auch alle Besorgnisse, Vorbehalte und Zweifel der direkt oder indirekt mit Organspende und Transplantation befassten Personen kann hierbei Einfluss auf den gesamten Prozess nehmen.In diesem Artikel werden die Ergebnisse eines Fokusgruppeninterviews mit Experten aus Organspende und -transplantation dargestellt. Ziel dieses Interviews war es, einen ersten Einblick in die Erfahrungen zu erhalten, die Mitarbeiter in diesem Bereich mit spirituellen Einstellungen und dadurch auch mit Faktoren machen, die den Gesamtprozess erleichtern oder erschweren können. An dem dreistündigen Fokusgruppeninterview, das an einem deutschen Universitätsklinikum stattfand, nahmen insgesamt 13 Personen (7 Frauen, 6 Männer) mit Erfahrung im Bereich der Organspende und/oder –transplantation teil (klinische Arbeit, Koordination, Forschung), davon 6 Ärzte, 4 Pflegekräfte, 1 Psychologin und 2 Theologen. Die Teilnehmer wurden ermutigt, ihre Erfahrungen bezüglich Einstellungen, Besorgnissen und Vorbehalten zu teilen, welche einen Einfluss auf den Organspende- und Transplantationsprozess haben können. Dabei sollten (1) eigene Erfahrungen sowie (2) Beobachtungen bei (potenziellen) Organempfängern und ihren Angehörigen sowie den Angehörigen von (potenziellen) Organspendern eingebracht werden. Außerdem sollte (3) über diesbezügliche Erfahrungen innerhalb der Arbeitsteams reflektiert werden. Hierbei wurde ein besonderer Fokus auf die spirituelle Dimension gelegt.Das Fokusgruppeninterview wurde von zwei unabhängig arbeitenden Mitgliedern des Forschungsteams mittels thematischer Inhaltsanalyse ausgewertet, dabei wurden alle Themen und Subthemen direkt aus den Daten abgeleitet, nicht im Vorfeld definiert. Es konnten 5 Themenbereiche mit jeweils mehreren Subthemen extrahiert werden:1. Ethische Überlegungen und Hindernisse für den Organspende- und TransplantationsprozessSubthemen:Mangel an Organen und Wunsch nach TransparenzGefährdetes Image der OrganspendeAkzeptanz des HirntodkonzeptesUnsicherheit bezüglich des Ausgangs2. Individuelle Vorstellungen und Überzeugungen bezüglich des Todes und des Lebens nach dem TodSubthemen: Vorstellungen von der Seele Bilder eines Lebens nach dem Tod Unversehrtheit des Körpers 3. Umgang mit Patienten, An- und Zugehörigen Subthemen: (a) bezüglich Organempfängern und ihren Angehörigen: Realitätssinn für potenzielle Risiken Organisation von psychosozialer und spiritueller Unterstützung (b) bezüglich der Angehörigen von (potenziellen) Spendern: Vermeidung von Druck Offenheit im Gespräch Bewusstsein für das Leid der Angehörigen 4. Mangel an Unterstützung für das PersonalSubthemen: Mangel an Respekt für persönliche ÜberzeugungenMangel an organisierten Unterstützungsstrukturen 5. Spirituelle Unterstützungsfaktoren Subthemen: Zeit und Raum zum Gespräch Konzentration auf den ErfolgAusüben von Ritualen

Die hier aufgezeigten Themenbereiche zeigen entweder direkt oder indirekt (durch die Problematik ausgelöste) spirituelle Einstellungen, Besorgnisse und Vorbehalte von Mitarbeitern auf, die auf die Prozesse in Organspende und Transplantation Einfluss nehmen können. Die Themen und Subthemen bildeten die Basis für die Erstellung eines Fragebogens, mit dem eine größere Gruppe an Mitarbeitern in Organspende und –transplantation zu ihren individuellen spirituellen Einstellungen und den damit verbundenen Hindernissen und Erschwernissen befragt werden konnten (Hvidt et al. 2016).

About the authors

Beate Mayr

MSc, is a registered nurse and nurse educator with extensive professional experience in different fields. She completed a Master’s programme in Nursing at Cardiff University (UK). She works in research since 2013 and was involved in various research projects at the Professorship for Spiritual Care, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München (Clinic and Polyclinic for Palliative Care). Since 2016 she works as a research fellow at the Munich School of Philosophy.

Eckhard Frick

Prof. Dr. med., studied Medicine, Philosophy, and Theology. He is a psychiatrist and psychoanalyst, didactic analyst (C.G. Jung-Institute Munich) as well as Catholic priest. Frick teaches anthropology at the Munich School of Philosophy and Spiritual Care at the School of Medicine, Technische Universität München.

Niels Christian Hvidt

Prof., is a Danish theologian and humanistic health researcher. From March 2013 – December 2014, he was Professor in the Chair for Spiritual Care at the Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München at the Clinic and Polyclinic for Palliative Care. In 2017 he was appointed Professor of Spiritual Care at the Research Unit of General Practice, University of South Denmark, Odense.

Thomas Breidenbach

MD, PhD, is currently the Regional Director of Bavaria for the German Organ Transplantation Foundation. His interests include all aspects of organ donation and, more specifically, the topic of public information and communication. He is author of various publications and book chapters.

Nicole Erbe

is a registered nurse with wide experience in different fields of medicine and nursing. She works a transplant coordinator for the German Foundation of Organ Transplant.

Dorothee Seidel

Dr., is a physician and senior anaesthetist. Since 2007 she works as a medical transplant coordinator for the German Foundation of Organ Transplant.

Piret Paal

PhD, is a medical anthropologist working on various themes regarding palliative care and spiritual care. Her particular field of interest is palliative care and spiritual care education. She works as WHO coordinator and researcher at the Paracelcus Medical University in Salzburg, Austria.

Funding

This research received no specific grant from any funding agency in the public, commercial, or not-for-profit sectors.

  1. Conflicts of interest:The author states no conflict of interest.

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Published Online: 2017-12-07
Published in Print: 2018-10-08

© 2017 Walter de Gruyter GmbH, Berlin/Boston

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