A framework for a physician-parent follow-up meeting after a child's death in a PICU and why this family-centered care approach should interest us all

摘要

In a recent knowledge exchange workshop, a colleague (Deborah Ritchie) and I had the following conversation with an adult intensive care nurse: ICU Nurse: We had a horrific shift last Monday. I wasn't on shift but I was on the following shift and-we just sat and chatted in the coffee room about it-just went through events and-just offloaded that way, really. DR: How would you define a terrible shift? ICU Nurse: Eh-a prolonged resuscitation of a 19 year old who then died. SK: A 19 year old? So, a young person. ICU Nurse: Yeh. And he just came in-so they hadn't had any time to establish a rapport with the family or... Nurses spoke about the family's outpouring of grief and how this had impacted on everyone who had been there at the time. This specific unit has a bereavement program for families, which offers support over a period of time. However, bereavement programs in ICUs are not yet the status quo.