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. 2024 Feb;27(2):236-240.
doi: 10.1089/jpm.2023.0134. Epub 2023 Oct 25.

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

Claudia Delgado-Corcoran  1   2 , Sarah E Wawrzynski  3 , Kelly Mansfield  4 , Erin Fuchs  1 , Chelsea Yeates  1 , Brian F Flaherty  1 , Mark Harousseau  2 , Lawrence Cook  1 , Jake Van Epps  5
Affiliations

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

Claudia Delgado-Corcoran et al. J Palliat Med. 2024 Feb.

Abstract

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.

Keywords: bereavement; critical care; grief; patient care team; pediatrics.

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Conflict of interest statement

No competing financial interests exist.

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