Meeting the need: developing a clinical pathway to increase tissue referrals from rural Alberta

Abstract

Tissue donation is essential for many individuals to improve their quality of life, and unfortunately, the need exceeds the supply. Although the Province of Alberta (2013) enacted legislation that requires all deaths be considered for donation potential, a knowledge gap still exists. The ongoing problem of missed tissue referral inspired the development of a clinical pathway that would provide health care providers the necessary tools to assess individuals for donation potential. The clinical pathway underwent a two-phased evaluation, first from subject matter experts within the donation program and finally through the Chinook Health Region ICU leadership team. This two-phased approach provided constructive feedback, resulting in a clinical pathway ready to be implemented at rural hospitals.