The Bereavement Visit in Pediatric Oncology

Stein, Jerry; Peles-Borz, Anat; Buchval, Ilana; Klein, Anat; Yaniv, Isaac

doi:10.1200/jco.2006.05.005

Cited by 21 publications

(24 citation statements)

References 2 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Unclassified

Order By: Relevance

“…Research suggests that nurses are viewed by families as more emotionally supportive than other healthcare providers (3,20). Physicians’ experiences and perspectives in this study were similar to the reported experiences of other physicians who have conducted physician-parent meetings after a child’s death (21,22). However, other physicians have also mentioned screening for pathological grief reactions.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 64%

Physiciansʼ experiences and perspectives regarding follow-up meetings with parents after a childʼs death in the pediatric intensive care unit

Meert

Eggly

Berger

et al. 2011

Pediatric Critical Care Medicine

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Objective Parents of children who die in the pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) often desire a follow-up meeting with the physicians who cared for their child. Our objective is to investigate critical care physicians’ experiences and perspectives regarding follow-up meetings with parents after a child’s death in the PICU. Design Semi-structured, audio-recorded telephone interviews. Setting Six clinical centers affiliated with the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development Collaborative Pediatric Critical Care Research Network (CPCCRN). Participants Seventy critical care physicians (i.e., attendings and fellows) practicing or training at a CPCCRN clinical center between February 1, 2008 and June 30, 2008. Measurements and Main Results Twenty-three (33%) physicians reported never participating in a follow-up meeting with bereaved parents; 22 (31%) participated in 1-5; and 25 (36%) participated in more than 5. Of those with prior experience, 44 (94%) met with parents at the hospital and 40 (85%) met within 3 months of the death. Meeting content included discussing autopsy, parent questions, hospital course, cause of death, genetic risk, bereavement services, and legal or administrative issues; providing emotional support; and receiving parent feedback. Forty (85%) physicians perceived the meetings to be beneficial to families, and 35 (74%) to physicians. Barriers included time and scheduling, family and physician unwillingness, distance and transportation, language and cultural issues, parent anger, and lack of a system for meeting initiation and planning. Conclusions Critical care physicians have a wide range of experience conducting follow-up meetings with bereaved parents. Although physicians perceive benefits to follow-up meetings, barriers exist that interfere with their implementation in clinical practice.

show abstract

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 64%

Physiciansʼ experiences and perspectives regarding follow-up meetings with parents after a childʼs death in the pediatric intensive care unit

Meert

Eggly

Berger

et al. 2011

Pediatric Critical Care Medicine

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Several oncology and palliative care programs have established such programs, and the response of family members has been positive [52].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Do Oncologists Engage in Bereavement Practices? A Survey of the Israeli Society of Clinical Oncology and Radiation Therapy (ISCORT)

et al. 2010

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

After completing this course, the reader will be able to:1. Examine the level of involvement of oncologists in bereavement rituals after a patient dies, in order to improve the effectiveness of oncologists and other caregivers in helping families cope with their loss.2. Analyze the reasons physicians do or do not participate in rituals involving direct contact or indirect contact with the bereaved families of their patients.3. Develop formal programs for the care team to provide continuing support involving direct contact and indirect contact with bereaved families.This article is available for continuing medical education credit at CME.TheOncologist.com. CME CME ABSTRACTPurpose. We sought to determine the level of involvement of oncologists in bereavement rituals after a patient dies. The Oncologist CME Program is located online at http://cme.theoncologist.com/. To take the CME activity related to this article, you must be a registered user. Subjects and Methods. Members of the Israeli Society for Clinical Oncology and Radiation Symptom Management and Supportive CareThe Oncologist 2010;15:317-326 www.TheOncologist.com casionally participated in rituals involving direct contact whereas 45% had indirect contact (e.g., letter of condolence) with the family on an occasional basis. There was significantly greater involvement in bereavement rituals when oncologists developed a special bond with the patient. In a stepwise linear regression model, the only factor significantly associated with greater participation in bereavement rituals was self-perceived spirituality in those claiming not to be religious. The major reasons offered for nonparticipation were time constraints, need to maintain appropriate boundaries between physicians and patients, and fear of burnout.Conclusion. Although many oncologists participate at least occasionally in some sort of bereavement ritual, a significant proportion of oncologists are not involved in these practices at all. The Oncologist 2010;15:317-326

show abstract

“…These documents should ideally be provided to families who request them after discussing their contents during the follow-up meeting. Feelings of sadness can be acknowledged as part of the closing of the meeting, along with expressions of gratitude for the trust the family placed in the medical team and the opportunity to know the child and the family (29). …”

Section: Framework For Physician-parent Follow-up Meetingsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Bereavement debriefings have been recommended to allow clinical teams to discuss their thoughts and experiences regarding a patient's death and to critique the quality of care provided (7, 10, 29, 45). Trainees attending follow-up and debriefing meetings should ideally be those who participated in the patient's care; however, changing rotations and call schedules may not permit their presence.…”

Section: Framework For Physician-parent Follow-up Meetingsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Literature exists to guide clinicians in communicating with families in a pediatric setting, and in particular, near the end of a child's life (7, 8, 25–28). A few reports (29–31) described pediatric specialists’ experience in meeting with bereaved parents, but the recommendations may not be generalizable to a variety of settings and circumstances. A meaningful framework for follow-up meetings should be flexible enough to be widely applicable and informed by the values and preferences of those most likely to be active participants, in this case, bereaved parents and PICU physicians (32, 33).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

A framework for conducting follow-up meetings with parents after a childʼs death in the pediatric intensive care unit*

Eggly

Meert

Berger

et al. 2011

Pediatric Critical Care Medicine

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Objective To describe a framework to assist pediatric intensive care unit physicians in conducting follow-up meetings with parents after their child's death. Many childhood deaths occur in pediatric intensive care units. Parents of children who die in pediatric intensive care units often desire a follow-up meeting with the physician(s) who cared for their child. Data Sources Prior research conducted by the Collaborative Pediatric Critical Care Research Network on the experiences and perspectives of bereaved parents and pediatric intensive care unit physicians regarding the desirability, content, and conditions of follow-up meetings. Results The framework includes suggestions for inviting families to follow-up meetings (i.e., developing an institutional system, invitation timing, and format); preparing for the meeting (i.e., assessing family preferences; determining location, attendees, and discussion topics; reviewing medical and psychosocial history); structure of the meeting (i.e., opening, closing, and developing a meeting agenda); communicating effectively during the meeting; and follow-up for both parents and physicians. Conclusion This framework is based on the experience and perspectives of bereaved parents and pediatric intensive care unit physicians. Future research should be conducted to determine the extent to which physician-parent follow-up meetings provide a benefit to parents, families, physicians, and other healthcare providers participating in these encounters.

show abstract

The Bereavement Visit in Pediatric Oncology

Cited by 21 publications

References 2 publications

Physiciansʼ experiences and perspectives regarding follow-up meetings with parents after a childʼs death in the pediatric intensive care unit

Physiciansʼ experiences and perspectives regarding follow-up meetings with parents after a childʼs death in the pediatric intensive care unit

Do Oncologists Engage in Bereavement Practices? A Survey of the Israeli Society of Clinical Oncology and Radiation Therapy (ISCORT)

A framework for conducting follow-up meetings with parents after a childʼs death in the pediatric intensive care unit*

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About