Biomaterial Database

Caring for Pediatric Patients' Families at the Child's End of Life. 2015

Jodi E Mullen, and Melissa R Reynolds, and Jennifer S Larson

Jodi E. Mullen is a clinical leader, pediatric intensive care unit, University of Florida Health, Shands Children's Hospital, Gainesville, Florida.Melissa R. Reynolds is a nurse manager, pediatric intensive care unit, University of Florida Health, Shands Children's Hospital.Jennifer S. Larson is an advanced hospice and palliative social worker in pediatric hematology/oncology, University of Florida Health, Shands Children's Hospital. muljod@shands.ufl.edu.

Nurses play an important role in supporting families who are faced with the critical illness and death of their child. Grieving families desire compassionate, sensitive care that respects their wishes and meets their needs. Families often wish to continue relationships and maintain lasting connections with hospital staff following their child's death. A structured bereavement program that supports families both at the end of their child's life and throughout their grief journey can meet this need.

UI	MeSH Term	Description	Entries
D002648	Child	A person 6 to 12 years of age. An individual 2 to 5 years old is CHILD, PRESCHOOL.	Children
D005190	Family	A social group consisting of parents or parent substitutes and children.	Family Life Cycles,Family Members,Family Life Cycle,Family Research,Filiation,Kinship Networks,Relatives,Families,Family Member,Kinship Network,Life Cycle, Family,Life Cycles, Family,Network, Kinship,Networks, Kinship,Research, Family
D005260	Female		Females
D006801	Humans	Members of the species Homo sapiens.	Homo sapiens,Man (Taxonomy),Human,Man, Modern,Modern Man
D013727	Terminal Care	Medical and nursing care of patients in the terminal stage of an illness.	End-Of-Life Care,End of Life Care,Care, End-Of-Life,Care, Terminal,End-Of-Life Cares
D017051	Hospice Care	Specialized health care, supportive in nature, provided to a dying person. A holistic approach is often taken, providing patients and their families with legal, financial, emotional, or spiritual counseling in addition to meeting patients' immediate physical needs. Care may be provided in the home, in the hospital, in specialized facilities (HOSPICES), or in specially designated areas of long-term care facilities. The concept also includes bereavement care for the family. (From Dictionary of Health Services Management, 2d ed)	Bereavement Care,Hospice Programs,Care, Bereavement,Care, Hospice,Hospice Program,Program, Hospice,Programs, Hospice