Sudden traumatic death in children: "We did everything, but your child didn't survive"

@article{citeulike:2662702, abstract = {When caring for children who become suddenly and catastrophically ill, clinicians must simultaneously attend to a complex and rapidly evolving medical situation, as well as to the equally challenging demands of establishing compassionate relationships with family members and communicating well with colleagues. An 18-month-old toddler was brought to the hospital with severe head injury after being struck by a car. Over a period of hours, her condition evolved from prognostic uncertainty to the diagnosis of brain death and considerations of organ donation. Against this medical backdrop, the clinicians successfully established a trusting relationship with family members by careful attention to their emotional, informational, and care needs as they absorbed the devastating prognosis, took in the results of the brain death examination, and considered the option of organ donation. This case illustrates the importance of interdisciplinary communication, the vital role of social workers and other psychosocial providers with expertise in working with families, and the critical significance of mutual care and support for the clinicians who accompany families through these tragic life events.}, address = {Division of Critical Care Medicine, Children's Hospital Boston, Mass, USA. robert.truog@childrens.harvard.edu}, author = {Truog, Robert D. and Christ, Grace and Browning, David M. and Meyer, Elaine C. }, citeulike-article-id = {2662702}, doi = {10.1001/jama.295.22.2646}, issn = {1538-3598}, journal = {JAMA}, keywords = {psychology, science}, month = {June}, number = {22}, pages = {2646--2654}, posted-at = {2008-04-13 03:42:53}, priority = {2}, title = {Sudden traumatic death in children: "We did everything, but your child didn't survive"}, url = {http://dx.doi.org/10.1001/jama.295.22.2646}, volume = {295}, year = {2006} }

TY - JOUR ID - citeulike:2662702 L3 - citeulike-article-id:2662702 TI - Sudden traumatic death in children: "We did everything, but your child didn't survive" JF - JAMA VL - 295 IS - 22 SP - 2646 EP - 2654 AD - Division of Critical Care Medicine, Children's Hospital Boston, Mass, USA. robert.truog@childrens.harvard.edu SN - 1538-3598 N2 - When caring for children who become suddenly and catastrophically ill, clinicians must simultaneously attend to a complex and rapidly evolving medical situation, as well as to the equally challenging demands of establishing compassionate relationships with family members and communicating well with colleagues. An 18-month-old toddler was brought to the hospital with severe head injury after being struck by a car. Over a period of hours, her condition evolved from prognostic uncertainty to the diagnosis of brain death and considerations of organ donation. Against this medical backdrop, the clinicians successfully established a trusting relationship with family members by careful attention to their emotional, informational, and care needs as they absorbed the devastating prognosis, took in the results of the brain death examination, and considered the option of organ donation. This case illustrates the importance of interdisciplinary communication, the vital role of social workers and other psychosocial providers with expertise in working with families, and the critical significance of mutual care and support for the clinicians who accompany families through these tragic life events. KW - psychology KW - science AU - Truog, Robert AU - Christ, Grace AU - Browning, David AU - Meyer, Elaine PY - 2006/06/14/ UR - http://dx.doi.org/10.1001/jama.295.22.2646 ER -