Many families of organ donors describe feeling alone and abandoned at the moment when their loved one is taken to the operating room for donation. Heather Talbot says she and her family were left on their own as her son was wheeled into the OR. The experience left her thinking, “Well, they got what they wanted and they’ve moved on.”

A qualitative study in CMAJ examined the experiences of donor families. They found that many families felt unsupported at critical transition periods. Authors of The experiences of family members of deceased organ donors and suggestions to improve the donation process conducted 271 in-depth interviews with family members of organ donors.

On this episode, Drs Bigham and Omole speak with the study’s lead author Dr. Aimee Sarti. Dr. Sarti is an ICU physician in Ottawa. But first, they speak with Heather Talbot. Ms. Talbot’s son Jonathan became an organ donor after his death in 2009.

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