Topic outline

  • Introduction to Organ and Tissue Donation - Critical Care

    This course is designed by Ontario Health (Trillium Gift of Life Network) for nurses and other healthcare professionals who work in critical care environments, such as the intensive care unit or emergency department.  This course should be completed as orientation to a critical care unit.  By the end of this course, you will be able to:

      • Apply the legislative requirements for donation in Ontario
      • Understand the clinical pathways for donation
      • Recognize donation opportunities in the critical care setting
      • Use leading practices to facilitate donation


    Important Practice Change: 
    This course indicates that a notification call is required for patients life-sustained with non-invasive ventilation (e.g., BiPAP or CPAP) in advance of death when a GIFT+ trigger is met.

    Effective winter 2025, notifications for patients life-sustained with non-invasive ventilation are only required:

    • Within one hour after death
    • If the patient/family brings up the topic of donation
    • For patients who have requested MAID:  after the first confirmation of eligibility assessment with a reasonably foreseeable natural death, after the second confirmation of eligibility assessment when natural death is not reasonably foreseeable


    This course will be updated in the future to reflect the change.