Training in recovery, perfusion and packaging of organs for transplants: profile of professionals and analysis of post-course learning

OBJECTIVE: To understand the profile of professionals working in organ harvesting, and analyze the learning results of those trained before and after the course on recovery, perfusion and packaging of organs for transplants. METHODS: A retroprospective, quantitative, analytical-descriptive study about the Course on Recovery, Perfusion and Packaging of Liver and Kidney, in the period from 2012 to 2014. Pre- and post-tests, with ten questions were used to assess knowledge about organ harvesting. The association of knowledge with applied content was verified by the McNemar test. RESULTS: Of the total of 334 participants, 187 (56.0%) were physicians, 104 (31.1%) nurses, and 43 (12.9%) scrub nurses. The majority of participants was male (58.4%), mean age of 39.1 years, 50% had graduated 5 to 10 years before, and 50.4% had less than one-year experience in organ harvesting. In knowledge assessment, there was an increase in the weighted mean, from 6.1 in the pre-test to 7.9 in the post-test. A significant increase in learning was observed in the post-test in 50% of scrub nurses, 33.3% in nurses 20% in physicians. CONCLUSION: The professionals were starting work in organ harvesting, and most were from Southeastern, Northeastern and Northern regions. In terms of learning, the course contributed to enhancing knowledge of the multiprofessional health team, and represented better learning standard.