Publication
HELPING THE HELPERS - SUPPORT IN CHILD BEREAVEMENT FOR PAEDIATRIC HEALTH CARE STAFF
Smith N, Callow E, Shefler A · Archives of Disease in Childhood · 2024
Objectives Around 70% of children with life-limiting conditions will die in hospital,1 meaning many paediatric staff will encounter death during their clinical duties. Observing and experiencing grief around a child's death can have a detrimental impact on professionals,2-4 however, training for Paediatricians and Paediatric Nurses in dealing with child death and bereavement is limited, and seldom an integrated part of training. We aimed to: . Explore staff needs . Introduce a structured professional day to provide education and improve understanding of grief . Increase staff confidence in dealing with child death and in interacting with families facing bereavement Methods We organised and delivered four day-long training sessions aimed at the multidisciplinary Paediatric clinical group. Two days were aimed at nursing staff and senior doctors from Oxford Paediatric Critical Care and the Emergency Department, and two days were offered to paediatric specialty trainees from the wider region. All training days were provided free of charge, and planned as full day in-person sessions, conducted at the Child Bereavement UK (CBUK) headquarters. The training consisted of talks and small group work, which emphasised multi-professional sharing and collaborative reflection on experiences and challenges. Content was adapted in response to attendee pre-questionnaires, exploring specific training needs. Training was provided in a safe and supportive environment, facilitated by experienced CBUK staff. Results Attendees completed questionnaires pre- and post-session. Feedback from all sessions was excellent; attendees consistently rated trainer delivery and organisation as 'Very Good'. Participant confidence in how to approach and support a family when they are impacted by bereavement increased by 38%; this was consistent for doctors and nurses at all experience levels. There was consistent improvement in participants' perception of grief. Free-text feedback was collated, enabling meaningful themes to arise. These included models of grief, the importance of self-care, the role of being present, and skills around discussions with children and siblings. Conclusion Child death will be faced by many health care professionals during their careers and can be daunting and emotionally challenging. Access to structured, informative, and regular training is vital to equip staff with the skills needed to have comfortable conversations with patients and families, and to provide guidance on how to support families, colleagues, and themselves. Our experience indicates that MDT training in child death, bereavement, and grief, should be embedded into local training structures, enabling all staff to achieve and retain confidence in dealing with child death.
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