How Do We Care for Deceased Children in the Hospital?

No published guidelines exist, but this brief report offers us an opportunity to review how the body of a deceased child is managed in the hospital.

In a recently published research letter, Italian pediatricians made the observation that no published guidelines exist for appropriate procedures to follow after the death of a child in a hospital. Yet, as the authors note, the care of a deceased child immediately after death can have lasting effects on the family's bereavement process. After death, the family often abruptly loses any supportive role.

To collect information on current practices, a regional healthcare agency in Italy sent surveys to all 31 hospital pediatric departments. The pediatric population in the region was 816,000 and involved 240 child deaths per year. The body of a deceased child was removed from the ward within 3 hours of death in 80% of hospitals, the body was plac…

Reviewing Author

Martin T. Stein, MD

Disclosures

Consultant / Advisory boardPearson Neuroscience Advisory Board

Speaker’s bureauAmerican Academy of Pediatrics

RoyaltiesElsevier, Inc.

Editorial boardsJournal of Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics

Martin T. Stein, MD

Disclosures

Consultant / Advisory boardPearson Neuroscience Advisory Board

Speaker’s bureauAmerican Academy of Pediatrics

RoyaltiesElsevier, Inc.

Editorial boardsJournal of Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics