The Death Of A Child

Patients have needs unrelated to their illness or injury. Having spent my entire career in pediatrics, often my focus is on developmental needs and what activities can be provided that support normal development. Some needs, however, seem to be universal. The need for play, learning, and social contact are not restricted to children. Meeting the emotional and psychosocial needs of the patient without compromising the physical needs demanded by the illness or injury is occasionally a delicate balancing act, and is where the art of nursing meets the science of nursing. By collaborating with our patients and families and respecting their values, a plan can be reached that both supports their needs and involves them in their own care.

Regrettably, the existence of nursing depends on the medical inadequacy of others. Unfortunately, nursing exists because people get hurt, cannot care for themselves, or need assistance with daily activities. Carol Taylor (2011), author of Fundamentals of Nursing: The Art and Science of Nursing Care, writes, “Nursing care involves any number of activities, from carrying out complicated technical procedures to something as seemingly as holding a hand” (p. 5). Taylor explains it is the duty of a nurse not only to learn the pertinent skills but also to bond with and comfort others. Nurses have to do and become many things: They must be stern when necessary, compassionate when needed, open minded

Including the client as an expert member of the team creates an enhanced quality of care (Coad, Patel & Murray, 2014). In pediatrics, parents are often at the center of the child’s care. When asked to define what made the client care experience positive, parents stated that sensitivity, empathy and honesty were key factors (Coad, Patel & Murray, 2014). Working in healthcare, nurses can become desensitized to difficult experiences because they deal with them daily. Integrating the client and family as part of the healthcare team, allows the nurse to see the patient and family as a people first. By avoiding using illness as context, and instead using person as context, care will be more holistic (Coad, Patel & Murray, 2014). A family-focused approach helps to ensure that the whole family feels a part of the experience and is valued. In the case of bereavement, family centered care is particularly important. If the family is not included in the care from the start, it can provide barriers for grieving and impact how the family deals with loss (Jones, Contro & Koch, 2014). Nurses have an opportunity to help support the family through the grief process (Jones, Contro & Koch, 2014). Families have a significant impact on how the client heals, so by caring for the family’s needs, the nurse is indirectly caring for the patient. It is in the client’s best interest for the care to be holistic for the patient as well as the family (Jones, Contro & Koch, 2014). All

On reading this article and identifying the study, there was a clear insight on how death and dying, and even improved health, impacted those nurses (Conte, 2014). Nurses, who worked closely with their patients, through the perils and suffering, culminating of death and losses, had grief not readily explored to enable that comfort zone (Conte, 2014).

Another big role in a pediatric nurse’s job is telling the parents disturbing news when it is necessary. Telling the family any bad news is more of a process than anyone might think. The pediatric nurse responsible for this task must first think ahead, plan for the worse, and plan for the reaction of the family. The pediatric nurse must set time apart from their busy day to be able to spend it with the family of the patient. One is never sure how the family will react or how long it will take to explain all the details and answer all the family’s questions. , According to Crawford in his journal “It is also helpful in many cases to have a witness to what was actually said as sometimes, despite all the care and attention to detail, mixed messages can be conveyed” (Crawford 3). In the article, it also states that the pediatric nurse should give open and honest information to the family. The nurse should start the conversation off letting the family know that they are here to support and encourage. The nurse should be straight forward from there on out and should refrain from using elaborate or confusing words with the child’s family. The nurse should avoid not only confusing the family but also excuses, jargon, elaborate reasoning, and the temptation to speed through the bad news without making 100 percent positive the family understands what they are being told. When the nurse has properly told the family the bad news, he or she must

Nurses: Assist the patients and families to cope with the end-of-life process such as assessing and

Sometimes the transition from critical care to end-of-life care is instantaneous, and the urgency associated with end-of life decisions for these children creates challenges for the nurses providing this care. Therefore nurses whose day-to-day practice focuses on saving lives, a sudden or even gradual change in a child's situation to end-of-life care can cause a disconnect between what nurses routinely do in the ICU setting and what they are now expected to do. Fewer studies could be located that has examined the effects of educational program on nurses provide end of life

Cumulative grief is known as a caregiver’s emotional response to many episodes of grief (Shorter & Stayt). The multiple encounters with death give a nurse no opportunity to grieve adequately or completely for each individual patient that has died (Shorter & Stay, 2010). The unresolved grief accumulates and can lead to emotional and physicals problems which can then effect a nurse professionally and personally (Shorter & Stayt, 2010). The effects of cumulative grief include denial, feelings of decreased personal competency, overwhelming grief, low self-esteem, and pre-occupation with death (Shorter & Stayt,

It is my recommendation that the health care community implement a network of resources for parents who are not willing to accept and grieve but are willing to accept and fight to prolong the life of their child. Resources and information should be readily available to assist with any type of services that would bring relief for situations ranging from housing to therapy. Medical professionals also should be required to take a course in patient relations giving some insight into the emotional turmoil that many parents experience. This probably would change some parent’s perception of the medical profession because discretion and empathy would be used when providing information about the child’s condition. Any feelings of hopelessness may be eliminated and replaced with feelings of relief

Nurses also provide end of life, and post mortem care. When a patient dies, the nurse often grieves alongside the family and helps to provide them with emotional support (Hecktman, 2012). Although the prognoses of childhood cancer have improved drastically over the last 30 years, many children still succumb to the disease. Nurses are the ones who provide constant bedside care, and often “must confront the limits of what medicine can do for people” (Schuster, 2013). This can prove to be difficult and bring on feelings of hopelessness and as though they are not helping their patients at all. Patients can leave lasting impacts on the nursing staff, and when multiple children die while in their care, the nurse may begin to experience cumulative loss. Childhood cancer is the leading cause of non-accidental death for children in Canada, and therefore, pediatric oncology nurses are often exposed to death on a routine basis, with little time to grieve between the deaths. It is imperative that nurses are aware of their stressors and how they respond to stress in order to effectively care for their patients.

Individuals enter nursing with a wide array of experiences in how they grieve the loss of someone or something. These experiences follow them into their career and express themselves in the way they grieve for the loss of a patient. Evidence shows that this has historically been inadequate and unhealthy. To prevent the negative impact that ineffective grieving has upon the individual the approach to the grieving process must change. In doing so nurses will become more emotionally and physically stable while going through these difficult times, ultimately helping the healthcare institution to thrive.

I always knew I want to work with pediatric population. During my clinical rotations, I always requested to work with pediatric patients if available. Unfortunately, my nursing instructor who understood this passion and extracurricular activities passed away shortly before graduation. However, that adds to motivation to help continue to help children and their communities. In the first month of clinical rotation at Seattle Children’s, there was a patient’s family who was getting frustrated. After

In relation to the purpose of this study, the driving force behind the research are three questions. What are nurses experience following patient’s death? What are their actions and coping strategies following patient death? Would better learning opportunities and supportive practice environments be provided once there is an understanding of nurses’ grief and coping process, if yes, was it beneficial. The researchers proceeded with a broad question which allowed the focus to be sharpened and delineated later in the

The loss of an adult child is devastating just as is the death of a younger child. However, there are differences as to how both the parents react to such losses. In this case the paper focuses on loss of an adult child and how the parent copes with the situation. The paper will give insight on the situation that precedes the demise of the child such as trajectory of illnesses which is more recent. A review on how the parents deal with the loss after it occurs will be discussed as well as the various issues the parent faces. The impact on the parent after the child’s loss is also featured. There will be a summary of the findings then finally a section that will give the implications of the research and its importance to the field of psychology and an improvement in human beings

Risk for negative outcomes comes with all types of nursing but it is a higher risk when talking about palliative care especially in children. Nurses are more likely to be aware of symptoms of a dying elderly client or an adult client rather than a child since this topic is not discussed that often. The CNO (2011) tells us that a RN is involved in care when the client is unpredictable, systemic or wide ranging responses, they have subtle signs and symptoms that are often difficult to detect and they are at a high risk for a negative outcome. Research studies have been done that create guidelines for nurses to follow in order to provide and meet the needs of the patient and their families when the child cannot benefit from intensive, life extending support especially