ABSTRACT
Aim: To describe the point of view of nurses regarding the moment of death in the process of organ donation
in an intensive care unit of a transplant hospital. Method: This is a descriptive, qualitative study, performed
with fifteen nurses working in intensive care. Alceste software was used to treat the data collected, which
identified the category “ontological dimension of caring due to the moment of death in the process of organ
donation and harvesting”. Results: During their practice nurses experience a dialectic relationship between
the act of donation and facing death through the nursing care provided to the potential donor and his
family. Discussion: The process of dying comes up against on a daily basis, when nurses have to deal with
the unknown, and face the daily fear of fighting against the possibility of death. Conclusion: There is a need
to rethink/review standards, to reconsider the educational background of nursing staff, and to demystify
institutional truths when dealing with the unknown.
Descriptors: Nursing; Mortality; Tissue and Organ Procurement.