El pediatra ante la muerte del niño: integración de los cuidados paliativos en la unidad de cuidados intensivos pediátricos
- M. Salas Arrambide
- O. Gabaldón Poc
- J.L. Mayoral Miravete
- E.G. Pérez-Yarza
- I. Amayra Caro
ISSN: 1695-4033, 1696-4608
Year of publication: 2005
Volume: 62
Issue: 5
Pages: 450-457
Type: Article
More publications in: Anales de Pediatría: Publicación Oficial de la Asociación Española de Pediatría ( AEP )
Abstract
Palliative care is essential in the pediatric intensive care unit (PICU). Because of the mortality rates and the presence of life-threatening conditions in children admitted to the PICU, pediatricians must be prepared to provide palliative care independently of cure-directed therapies. The present article reviews certain issues, including the decision- making process in the PICU, psychosocial needs and susceptibility to burnout among PICU staff, and the emotions and attitudes of the staff when a child dies. We provide some guidelines on how to act when a child dies, how to meet with parents after the child’s death and how to follow- up parental bereavement. Strategies that can help PICU pediatricians to cope with the numerous loses they experience are suggested.