Grieving Children' Death in an Intensive Care Unit: Implementation of a Standardized Process

Grieving Children' Death in an Intensive Care Unit: Implementation of a Standardized Process

Delgado-Corcoran C; Wawrzynski SE; Mansfield K; Fuchs E; Yeates C; Flaherty BF; Harousseau M; Cook L; Epps JV

Journal of Palliative Medicine

2024

Humans; Child; Grief; Intensive Care Units; Health Personnel; Only Child; Terminal Care; Bereavement; Burnout Professional

Background: The grief that accompanies witnessing the death of a child puts health care professionals at risk of secondary trauma, burnout, and turnover when left unaddressed. Objective: Support staff well-being and promote resiliency. Methods: Descriptive implementation of a structured, peer-to-peer bereavement support program for intensive care unit (ICU) staff at a tertiary children's hospital. Results: Thirty-five virtual sessions were held over the period of one year.Through these sessions, participants shared perspectives and normalized reactions, and explored potential coping strategies. Post-session feedback surveys demonstrated the negative impact of a death on the personal or work life of ICU staff. Additionally, nearly all reported some level of burnout. Conclusions: The sessions were feasible and positively impacted staff coping and well-being. Barriers and facilitators to session attendance, as well as suggestions for improvement, were also explored. Implications for practice and future research are discussed. No clinical trial registration is applicable.

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April List 2024