Emergency Resilience
Proactive solutions for unpredictable work environments.
This course has been approved for 3 hours of instructor based continuing education.
Death Communication for First Responders
How to deliver unfortunate news
Research continues to stress the importance of remaining on scene for up to 30 minutes in an effort to improve outcome and survivability of cardiac arrest patients. But what happens when even the most successful efforts result in futility and a patient must now be pronounced on scene?
Historically, institutions have failed to prepare first responders for this outcome, and "training" for these situations are experiential, at best. As a result, crews continue to default into a “transport for the family," "PR CPR” or “just for show” mentality that has only contributed to the cultural resistance we currently face. Because of this practice, we have failed to recognize our unique role in the grieving (healing) process, which begins for the survivors at the moment that we determine time of death of the patient.
In this class, you will learn how to communicate with bystanders effectively, how to identify the process of grief, as well as understand the positive impact that first responders can have on the survivors when we make the choice to remain on scene.