Pediatric death: perceptions and experience of healthcare professionals

Inês Silva-Costa, Serviço de Pediatria, ULS Viseu Dão Lafões, Viseu, Portugal
Inês Melo, Serviço de Pediatria, ULS Viseu Dão Lafões, Viseu, Portugal
Cláudia Moutinho, Urgência Pediátrica, ULS Viseu Dão Lafões, Viseu, Portugal
Sofia Reis, Serviço de Pediatria, ULS Viseu Dão Lafões, Viseu, Portugal
Lígia M. Ferreira, Serviço de Pediatria, ULS Viseu Dão Lafões, Viseu, Portugal
Cristina Baptista, Serviço de Pediatria, ULS Viseu Dão Lafões, Viseu, Portugal

Introduction and Objectives: As a result of its particular nature, pediatric death presents healthcare workers with personal and professional challenges that are complex to manage. The objective of this study was to characterize the experience of healthcare workers in a level II pediatric department, focusing on grief and the impact of death in a professional setting. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted in 2023. A paper-based questionnaire was used, with questions divided into three areas: biopsychosocial characterization, impact of death, and potential insecurities. Results: A total of 97 questionnaires were distributed, with 74 (76.3%) responses collected, mostly from nurses (47.3%) and doctors (39.2%). The experience of pediatric death was reported by 61 (82.4%) professionals, mostly in emergency situations (62.3%). The emotions most frequently mentioned were sadness (93.4%) and compassion (63.9%), with no differences between professional subgroups or experience (p > 0.05). Regarding the impact of death, professionals reported more difficulty falling asleep, particularly those with fewer years of experience (p = 0.014). Doctors were more likely to question the appropriateness of their professional practices (p = 0.048). When evaluating insecurities about a future event, professionals with less experience reported greater concern about scientific preparedness (p = 0.031), while professionals without children expressed more concern about delivering the news to caregivers (p = 0.002). Discussion: Pediatric death causes changes to the routines and behaviors of professionals in our department, which highlights the importance of finding tailored strategies to support grieving. The impact and concerns are heterogeneous, varying with professional experience and family background, indicating that interventions should be adapted to the specific concerns of each subgroup.

Keywords: Pediatric death. Healthcare worker. Grief. Emergency department.