Death of a Child in the Emergency Department

The death of a child in the emergency department (ED) is one of the most challenging problems facing ED clinicians. This revised technical report and accompanying policy statement reaffirm principles of patient- and family-centered care. Recent literature is examined regarding family presence, termi...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Annals of emergency medicine 2014-07, Vol.64 (1), p.e1-e17
Main Authors: O'Malley, Patricia J., MD, FAAP, Barata, Isabel A., MD, FACEP, FAAP, Snow, Sally K., RN, BSN, CPEN, FAEN
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Death
death of a child
Emergency
emergency department
Emergency Service, Hospital
Hospital Mortality
Humans
Organizational Policy
Professional-Family Relations
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:The death of a child in the emergency department (ED) is one of the most challenging problems facing ED clinicians. This revised technical report and accompanying policy statement reaffirm principles of patient- and family-centered care. Recent literature is examined regarding family presence, termination of resuscitation, bereavement responsibilities of ED clinicians, support of child fatality review efforts, and other issues inherent in caring for the patient, family, and staff when a child dies in the ED. Appendices are provided that offer an approach to bereavement activities in the ED, carrying out forensic responsibilities while providing compassionate care, communicating the news of the death of a child in the acute setting, providing a closing ritual at the time of terminating resuscitation efforts, and managing the child with a terminal condition who presents near death in the ED.
ISSN:0196-0644
1097-6760
DOI:10.1016/j.annemergmed.2014.05.011