Accreditation 2023 - Communication

Organ and Tissue Donation by Kirsten Johnson

Pembroke Regional Hospital (PRH) is proud to work with Trillium Gift of Life Network (TGLN) to save lives through organ and tissue donation. In compliance with the Gift of Life Act, PRH follows a standard process for notifying TGLN when a patient has died, or prior to death according to established referral indicators. This process, referred to as "Routine Notification", ensures that TGLN is able to effectively determine if there is potential for organ and/or tissue donation.  

In 2021-2022 PRH received the Routine Notification Rate Award for achieving a 100 percent routine notification rate. This is the fourth time that PRH has received this award.

At PRH, Ontario Health (TGLN) is notified of all deaths meeting the following criteria:

Click here for the quick tip.

Language to connect patients/ families with Ontario Health (TGLN) when appropriate:

When families ask “What do we do now?”

“One of the next steps for families is to speak with a Ontario Health (TGLN) Coordinator to help with some of the decisions that you will be making. We can arrange that now or in a little while, before you leave the hospital.”

Normalizing
“As part of end-of-life care and to help with some of the decisions that need to be made, we arrange for families to speak with a Coordinator on the phone. We can do that in a few minutes or before you leave the hospital.” 

When the patient/family asks about organ and tissue donation
“We’ll be calling Ontario Health (TGLN) to determine if there is the opportunity to donate. They will be available to speak with you about donation.”  

How to respond if the patient/family has questions about who can donate and eligibility criteria
“Ontario Health (TGLN) staff are the specialists in this field. Criteria is updated frequently, so we rely on their expertise regarding this.”

If the patient/family states “I don’t want to speak to Ontario Health (TGLN)” or “I don’t want to donate” without speaking with Ontario Health (TGLN)

“We encourage all our patients/substitutes to speak with Ontario Health (TGLN) as sometimes people aren’t aware of new information about who can be helped or may have misunderstandings about the process.”

Educating and Informing our Staff at PRH:

• PRH’s multidisciplinary committee “Organ and Tissue Donation Committee” is responsible for ensuring consistency in, and monitoring of, the organ and tissue donation process within the hospital. 

• Education and training is provided to all staff responsible for routine notification at PRH. Organ and Tissue Donation eLearning modules are an annual requirement for these staff members.

• Education sessions are provided through skills days, “just-in-time” reminders, and departmental huddles.

• Each April, PRH participates in TGLN’s “Be A Donor Month” to advocate for and create awareness of organ and tissue donation  

• TGLN resources are easily accessible on all clinical units (TGLN reference binders and/ or bins)

• Policies and procedures related to organ and tissue donation can be found electronically on the Policy and Procedure manual  

Celebrations and staff recognition of contributions to the organ and tissue donation process

To learn more about Routine Notification process, refer to the “Routine Notification Worksheet” on Policy Medical.