Health Care Professionals' Awareness of a Child's Impending Death

Title

Health Care Professionals' Awareness of a Child's Impending Death

Creator

Kobler K; Bell C; Kavanaugh K; Gallo A M; Corte C; Vincent C

Publisher

Qualitative Health Research

Date

2020

Subject

case study; children; decision-making; end-of-life issues; Midwest; professional; qualitative; theory development

Description

Health care professionals' (HCPs) experiences during early pediatric end-of-life care were explored using a theory-building case study approach. Multiple data collection methods including observation, electronic medical record review, and semi-structured interviews were collected with 15 interdisciplinary HCPs across four cases. Within- and across-case analyses resulted in an emerging theory. HCPs' initial awareness of a child's impending death is fluid, ongoing, and informed through both relational and internal dimensions. Initial cognitive awareness is followed by a deeper focus on the child through time-oriented attention to the past, present, and future. HCPs engage in a "delicate dance of figuring out" key issues. Awareness was exemplified through four themes: professional responsibility, staying connected, grounded uncertainty, and holding in. The emerging theoretical model provides a framework for HCPs to assess their ongoing awareness, identify personal assumptions, and inform gaps in understanding when facilitating early end-of-life care discussions with 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

June 2020 List

Collection

Citation

Kobler K; Bell C; Kavanaugh K; Gallo A M; Corte C; Vincent C, “Health Care Professionals' Awareness of a Child's Impending Death,” Pediatric Palliative Care Library, accessed March 19, 2024, https://pedpalascnetlibrary.omeka.net/items/show/17113.