Grave words: Notifying survivors about sudden, unexpected deaths

This monograph is a description of the rationale for communicating effectively in the setting of unexpected death and provides an outline for an adult education program to teach others the principles of survivor support in sudden death situations.

Abstract

Reviewer 's Exper t Opinion Description: This monograph is a description of the rationale for communicating effectively in the setting of unexpected death. Purpose: The purpose is to improve the communication skills of health care providers and provide a resource for survivors of sudden death episodes. Audience: Practitioners at all levels providing care in acute medical fields will benefit from this work. The author is a professor of surgery and a director of emergency medicine in the southwest United States. Features: Material is organized in the table of contents by pieces of the author's protocol for communication with and support of survivors in sudden death episodes. After relating his communication protocol, the author describes communication of sudden death experience in specific situations, including parents and children, ED death, obstetric problems, the EMS approach to death pronouncement and notification, military death notification, and disaster management. Explanations are provided for the layperson for common medical catastrophes, including brain death, sudden infant death syndrome , and the issue of p o s t m o r t e m examinat ion . References sometimes are anecdotal, and illustrations are absent. The lack of a more extensive reference list reflects the limited literature on this important subject. A brief index concludes this work. Assessment: This book fills a significant need in medical education and practice. As the author appropriately points out, such acute resuscitation protocols as advanced cardiac life support, basic life support, and advance trauma life support include little or no information on notification of death. This fact is remarkable because mortality rates in these situations are high. Not only does the author provide a clinically based tool that is easily read, he also provides an outline for an adult education program to teach others the principles of survivor support in sudden death situations. Reviewer: David J. Dries, MSE, MD, University of Minnesota Medical School