Providing Support for Neonatal Intensive Care Unit Health Care Professionals: A Bereavement Debriefing Program

Providing Support for Neonatal Intensive Care Unit Health Care Professionals: A Bereavement Debriefing Program

Hawes K; Goldstein J; Vessella S; Tucker R; Lechner B E

American journal of perinatology

2020

end-of-life care; end-of-life experiences; NICU staff; professional quality of life

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study is to evaluate formal bereavement debriefing sessions after infant death on neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) staff. STUDY DESIGN: Prospective mixed methods study. Pre- and postbereavement debriefing intervention surveys were sent to clinical staff. Evaluation surveys were distributed to participants after each debriefing session. Notes on themes were taken during each session. RESULT(S): More staff attended sessions (p<0.0001) and attended more sessions (p<0.0001) during the postdebriefing intervention epoch compared with the predebriefing epoch. Stress levels associated with the death of a patient whose family the care provider have developed a close relationship with decreased (p=0.0123). An increased number of debriefing session participants was associated with infant age at the time of death (p=0.03). Themes were (1) family and provider relationships, (2) evaluation of the death, (3) team cohesion, (4) caring for one another, and (5) emotional impact. CONCLUSION(S): Bereavement debriefings for NICU staff reduced the stress of caring for dying infants and contributed to staff well-being. KEY POINTS: . Providing end-of-life care in NICU is challenging.. . Debriefings assist staff in coping with grief.. . Staff well-being impacts patient care.. Copyright Thieme. All rights reserved.

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