The Heartbreaking Task of Breaking Bad News

[NRSKarenRN, BSN, RN]

Check out this informative Nursing Spectrum article:

by Coralease C. Ruff, RN, DNSc, FNP

Masthead Date March 24, 2003

http://community.nursingspectrum.com/MagazineArticles/article.cfm?AID=9122

[sixes]

this is a very informative article. It is never an easy part of the job

[JMP]

Happens all the time in ICU. RN's can make such a difference for families and loved ones in the way we handle the situation.

Palliative care, even if it is for hours ( not days or weeks) is very important in these critical care settings.

[suzannasue]

Great article Karen !!!! So often it is, we nurses who must inform family members of the deaths of their loved ones...I dunno about the interactions of anyone else's MD's...I just know that the one's I work with run from family members...leaving the nursing staff with the duty of caring for these human beings during the most emotional times of their lives...having a box of tissues handy and actually touching family members has never been a problem for me, having been in their shoes myself...I usually delegate the "paperwork" to someone else during those times...we all need human contact...