Mayer Dorothy Dale M
Montana State University, Missoula, Montana, USA.
Curr Opin Support Palliat Care. 2017 Mar;11(1):1-6. doi: 10.1097/SPC.0000000000000253.
It is recognized that death is inevitable but rarely are we prepared for the death of significant persons in our lives. Sudden death is by its nature unexpected and thus shocking for family members and friends of the decedent. Sudden deaths have customarily been divided into four categories based on the cause of death, including natural, accidental, suicidal, or homicidal (NASH) deaths. Supporting the suddenly bereaved can be stressful, for both novice and experienced professionals; this review provides information important to healthcare professionals (HCP) who are often in a position to support family members after a sudden death.
Evidence suggests that supportive actions for those suddenly bereaved include HCPs conveying empathy, answering questions about the cause of death, allowing family members an opportunity to say goodbye, and providing follow-up over time. Bereaved individuals appreciate ongoing connections with healthcare professionals after the death, and HCPs need to recognize that the bereaved are at increased risk of illness in the months after a sudden death.
Supporting those bereaved after a sudden unexpected death is not easy, even for experienced professionals. This review identifies supportive strategies to use with individuals and family members who are suddenly bereaved. The suggestions in this review can be used in emergency departments and other settings involved with death notifications. Also provided is information that HCPs can use to support bereaved family members.
人们认识到死亡不可避免，但我们很少为生命中重要人物的离世做好准备。猝死本质上是意想不到的，因此对死者的家人和朋友来说是令人震惊的。传统上，猝死根据死因分为四类，包括自然死亡、意外死亡、自杀死亡或他杀死亡（NASH）。对于新手和经验丰富的专业人员来说，支持突然失去亲人的人可能会有压力；本综述为经常在猝死之后为家庭成员提供支持的医疗保健专业人员（HCP）提供重要信息。
有证据表明，对突然失去亲人的人的支持性行动包括医疗保健专业人员表达同理心、回答有关死因的问题、让家庭成员有机会道别以及随着时间推移提供后续跟进。失去亲人的人感激在亲人去世后与医疗保健专业人员保持持续联系，而医疗保健专业人员需要认识到，突然失去亲人的人在猝死数月后患病风险会增加。
即使对经验丰富的专业人员来说，支持那些在意外猝死之后失去亲人的人也并非易事。本综述确定了适用于突然失去亲人的个人和家庭成员的支持策略。本综述中的建议可用于急诊科和其他涉及死亡通知的场所。还提供了医疗保健专业人员可用于支持失去亲人的家庭成员的信息。
