Parental Physical Proximity In End-of- Life Care In The Picu.
Title
Parental Physical Proximity In End-of- Life Care In The Picu.
Creator
Falkenburg JL; Tibboel D; Ganzevoort RR; Gischler S; Hagoort J; van Dijk M
Publisher
Pediatric Critical Care Medicine
Date
2016
Subject
End Of Life Care; Patient; Quality; Unit; Pediatric Palliative Care; Perspectives; Cancer; Critical Care Medicine; Qualitative; Family; Intensive Care; Childs Death; Pediatric Intensive-care; Priorities; Pediatrics; Parenting
Description
OBJECTIVE:
Health professionals in PICUs support both child and parents when a child's death is imminent. Parents long to stay connected to their dying child but the high-tech environment and treatment implications make it difficult to stay physically close. This study explores in what sense physical aspects of end-of-life care in the PICU influence the parent-child relationship.
DESIGN:
Retrospective, qualitative interview study.
SETTING:
Level 3 PICU in Erasmus Medical Center in the Netherlands.
PARTICIPANTS:
Thirty-six parents of 20 children who had died in this unit 5 years previously.
MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS:
Parents vividly remembered the damage done to the child's physical appearance, an inevitable consequence of medical treatment. They felt frustrated and hurt when they could not hold their child. Yet they felt comforted if facilitated to be physically close to the dying child, like lying with the child in one bed, holding the child in the hour of death, and washing the child after death.
CONCLUSIONS:
End-of-life treatment in the PICU presents both a barrier and an opportunity for parents to stay physically connected to their child. Parents' experiences suggest that aspects of physicality in medical settings deserve more attention. Better understanding of the significance of bodily aspects-other than pain and symptom management-improves end-of-life support and should be part of the humane approach to families.
Health professionals in PICUs support both child and parents when a child's death is imminent. Parents long to stay connected to their dying child but the high-tech environment and treatment implications make it difficult to stay physically close. This study explores in what sense physical aspects of end-of-life care in the PICU influence the parent-child relationship.
DESIGN:
Retrospective, qualitative interview study.
SETTING:
Level 3 PICU in Erasmus Medical Center in the Netherlands.
PARTICIPANTS:
Thirty-six parents of 20 children who had died in this unit 5 years previously.
MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS:
Parents vividly remembered the damage done to the child's physical appearance, an inevitable consequence of medical treatment. They felt frustrated and hurt when they could not hold their child. Yet they felt comforted if facilitated to be physically close to the dying child, like lying with the child in one bed, holding the child in the hour of death, and washing the child after death.
CONCLUSIONS:
End-of-life treatment in the PICU presents both a barrier and an opportunity for parents to stay physically connected to their child. Parents' experiences suggest that aspects of physicality in medical settings deserve more attention. Better understanding of the significance of bodily aspects-other than pain and symptom management-improves end-of-life support and should be part of the humane approach to families.
Rights
Article information provided for research and reference use only. PedPalASCNET does not hold any rights over the resource listed here. All rights are retained by the journal listed under publisher and/or the creator(s).
Citation List Month
May 2016 List
Citation
Falkenburg JL; Tibboel D; Ganzevoort RR; Gischler S; Hagoort J; van Dijk M, “Parental Physical Proximity In End-of- Life Care In The Picu.,” Pediatric Palliative Care Library, accessed April 18, 2024, https://pedpalascnetlibrary.omeka.net/items/show/10611.