Abstract
Dying children and their families need psychosocial support. This study's goal was to determine how pediatric housestaff perceived the adequacy of support they gave dying children and their families, how often counseling was sought, and how much training housestaff had received. The study group consisted of 29 housestaff (18 males, 11 females) who graduated from a variety of medical schools from 1976 to 1980. Twenty-four house-staff (15 males, 9 females) responded to a survey pertaining to training in death counseling; frequency of need to counsel about death; frequency of post-mortem counseling; and confidence in meeting family and patient needs. Only 6 of 24 house-staff had received formal training in death counseling. Children approached housestaff for death counseling in 44 instances, involving 15 housestaff. Post-mortem counseling was sought by 25 families, involving 9 housestaff. Fourteen housestaff (8 males, 6 females) felt totally inadequate to counsel dying patients and their families; 5 housestaff (2 males, 3 females) felt ambivalent about it; and only 4 housestaff (all males) felt confident to counsel in these circumstances. This study suggests a need for more intensive physician training in death counseling to aid the physician in providing adequate psychosocial support for dying children and their families.
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Behnke, M., Mehta, P. & Talbert, J. 664 DEATH COUNSELING AS IT RELATES TO ADEQUATE PSYCHOSOCIAL SUPPORT BY THE PHYSICIAN FOR THE DYING CHILD AND FAMILY. Pediatr Res 15 (Suppl 4), 551 (1981). https://doi.org/10.1203/00006450-198104001-00677
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1203/00006450-198104001-00677
