Hospice Death Pronouncements by non clinicians

Specialties Hospice

Published

  1. Should Hospice Social works or Chaplains do death pronouncements?

    • 0
      Social works should pronounce
    • 0
      Chaplains should pronounce
    • 0
      Both disciplined should pronounce
    • 11
      Only MD's, RN's, or LVN's should pronounce
    • 1
      Each agency should decide

12 members have participated

I work for a very large company. For home hospice, they now have chaplains called to do the death pronouncements. The chaplains do not have credentials for this, and are not paid for after hours calls. Nurses do get paid and have the credential. It seems that they make non-union people do these after hours calls.

But, is this legal? It is in California. A chaplain doing a hospice death call does not seem right, maybe after - for that support. Who would they call, since the company does not listen to them or take their concerns seriously.

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This is a state issue. I would get in contact with your local Town Clerk. Or the local medical examiner/coroner's office.

Ask who you would need to direct an inquiry as to who is qualified to pronounce death in a hospice situation in your state.

Most states I know of, this requires an MD. However, some do allow PA's and RN's to do this as well. However, it has to be verified by an MD. BUT, a chaplain is also a minister or priest, and could have a state license to pronounce death. And there is a difference in pronouncing death when death is expected, and pronouncing death when it is not.

This is from: http://coroner.co.la.ca.us/Docs/Hospital%20and%20Nursing%20Home.pdf

III. PRONOUNCEMENT OF DEATH

California Health and Safety Code Sections 7180 and 7181 establishes two methods of pronouncing death.

The first is to determine, in accordance with accepted medical standards, that there has been irreversible

cessation of circulatory and respiratory functions. This does not necessarily have to be done by a physician,

although in a hospital or nursing home it ordinarily would be.

The second method is for two physicians to determine that brain death has occurred. In this case, the official

time of death is the time that the second physician confirms brain death. It is not the responsibility of the

Department of Coroner to respond to a possible dead body to pronounce death. This office has no legal

authority to enter into a case until the person is in fact pronounced dead, and then only in those cases defined

by the statutes which give the Coroner clear jurisdiction.

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In Texas I believe it needs to be pronounced by an MD or RN.

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TX law will allow an LVN to pronounce but most facility policies bar it. And death procedures vary county to county.

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