Parental bereavement needs in the pediatric intensive care unit: review of available measures

End-of-life decisions and practices as viewed by health professionals in pediatric critical care: A European survey study

BACKGROUND AND AIM

End-of-Life (EOL) decision-making in paediatric critical care can be complex and heterogeneous, reflecting national culture and law as well as the relative resources provided for healthcare. This study aimed to identify similarities and differences in the experiences and attitudes of European paediatric intensive care doctors, nurses and allied health professionals about end-of-life decision-making and care.

METHODS

This was a cross-sectional observational study in which we distributed an electronic survey to the European Society of Paediatric and Neonatal Intensive Care (ESPNIC) members by email and social media. The survey had three sections: (i) 16 items about attitudes to EOL care, (ii) 14 items about EOL decisions, and (iii) 18 items about EOL care in practice. We used a 5-point Likert scale and performed descriptive statistical analysis.

RESULTS

Overall, 198 questionnaires were completed by physicians (62%), nurses (34%) and allied health professionals (4%). Nurses reported less active involvement in decision-making processes than doctors (64% vs. 95%; p < 0.001). As viewed by the child and family, the child's expected future quality of life was recognised as one of the most critical considerations in EOL decision-making. Sub-analysis of Northern, Central and Southern European regions revealed differences in the optimal timing of EOL decisions. Most respondents (n = 179; 90%) supported discussing organ donation with parents during EOL planning. In the sub-region analysis, differences were observed in the provision of deep sedation and nutritional support during EOL care.

CONCLUSIONS

This study has shown similar attitudes and experiences of EOL care among paediatric critical care professionals within European regions, but differences persist between European regions. Nurses are less involved in EOL decision-making than physicians. Further research should identify the key cultural, religious, legal and resource differences underlying these discrepancies. We recommend multi-professional ethics education to improve EOL care in European Paediatric Intensive Care.

Spiritual needs of mothers having children with cancer: A qualitative study

BACKGROUND

Diagnosing cancer, as a life-threatening event, in children and adolescents stops the normal course of life for all family members. Spirituality, which plays an essential role in coping with illness and death, can increase resistance against psychological crises induced by cancer diagnosis and treatment. This study aims to discover the spiritual needs of mothers having children with cancer aged 1-12 years old.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

In this qualitative study, the conventional content analysis approach was used. The research environment was three pediatric oncology wards of Amir Hospital in Shiraz, Iran. Data were collected from September 2019 to March 2020 through face-to-face semi-structured in-depth interviews. Fifteen participants including 12 mothers and 3 nurses were interviewed through purposive method considering maximal variation. The interviews were recorded, transcribed, and subjected to a qualitative analysis. Credibility, dependability, confirmability, and transferability of data were confirmed.

RESULTS

The mean (± standard deviation) age of the mothers was 35.76 (±5.96) years old. The spiritual needs of the mothers were classified into three categories, including religious well-being, existential well-being, and growth and excellence as well as seven subcategories. Religious well-being included subcategories of direct and indirect connection with God, existential well-being included subcategories of need for hope, multifaceted support, and rethinking, growth, and excellence consisted of subcategories of devoting yourself and surrender.

CONCLUSION

Mothers of children with cancer face important spiritual needs. Therefore, it is necessary for the treatment team to identify these needs and use them to provide appropriate spiritual care.

Availability and Quality of Grief and Bereavement Care in Pediatric Intensive Care Units Around the World, Opportunities for Improvement

Pediatric Intensive Care Units (PICUs) provide multidisciplinary care to critically ill children and their families. Grief is present throughout the trajectory of illness and can peak around the time of death or non-death losses. The objective of this study was to assess how PICUs around the world implement grief and bereavement care (GBC) as part of an integrated model of care. This is a multicenter cross-sectional, prospective survey study. Questionnaires with multiple-choice and open-ended questions focusing on unit infrastructure, personnel, policies, limited patient data, and practices related to GBC for families and health care professionals (HCPs) were completed by on-site researchers, who were HCPs on the direct care of patients. PICU fulfillment of GBC goals was evaluated using a custom scoring based on indicators developed by the Initiative for Pediatric Palliative Care (IPPC). We compared average total and individual items fulfillment scores according to the respective country's World Bank income. Patient characteristics and details of unit infrastructure were also evaluated as potential predictors of total GBC fulfillment scores. Statistical analysis included multilevel generalized linear models (GLM) with a Gaussian distribution adjusted by child age/gender and clustering by center, using high income countries (HICs) as the comparative reference. Additionally, we applied principals of content analysis to analyze and summarize open-ended answers to contextualize qualitative data. The study included 34 PICUs from 18 countries: high-income countries (HICs): 32.4%, upper middle-income countries (UMICs): 44.1%, low middle-income and low-income countries (LMI/LICs): 23.5%. All groups reported some compliance with GBC goals; no group reported perfect fulfillment. We found statistically significant differences in GBC fulfillment scores between HICs and UMICs (specifically, HCP grief support), and between HICs and LMICs (specifically, family grief support and HCP grief support). PICUs world-wide provide some GBC, independent of income, but barriers include lack of financial support, time, and training, overall unit culture, presence of a palliative care consultation service, and varying cultural perceptions of child death. Disparities in GBC for families and HCPs exist and were related to the native countries' income level. Identifying barriers to support families and HCPs, can lead to opportunities of improving GBC in PICUs world-wide.

Gender differences in the risk of depressive disorders following the loss of a young child: a nationwide population-based longitudinal study

BACKGROUND

Losing a child to death is one of the most stressful life events experienced in adulthood. The aim of the current study is to investigate parental risk of seeking treatment for major depression disorders (MDD) after a child's death and to explore whether such connection may operate differentially by parents' prior medical condition.

METHODS

We studied a retrospective cohort of 7245 parents (2987 mothers and 4258 fathers) identified in the National Health Insurance Research Database of Taiwan (NHIRD) who had lost a child with age between 1 and 12 years. For comparison, the parents of 1:4 birth year- and gender-matched non-deceased children were retrieved (16,512 mothers and 17,753 fathers). Gender-specific Cox regression analyses were performed to estimate risk.

RESULTS

Nearly 5.0% and 2.4% of bereaved mothers and fathers sought treatment for MDD within three years after a child's death, significantly higher than 0.8% and 0.5% in the non-bereaved parents. With covariate adjustment, the hazard ratio (HR) for maternal and paternal seeking treatment for MDD was estimated 4.71 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 3.35-6.64) and 1.93 (95% CI: 1.27-2.95), respectively. The increased risk of MDD varied by prior disease history; specifically, the increased risk of seeking treatment for MDD was especially prominent for those without chronic physical condition (CPC) (e.g., mothers with CPC: aHR = 2.38, 95% CI: 1.56-3.65 vs. no CPC: aHR = 9.55, 95% CI: 6.17-14.79).

CONCLUSIONS

After the death of a child, parental elevated risk of MDD was especially prominent for the women and those without prior medical condition. Effective strategies addressing bereavement may require family-based, integrated physical and mental healthcare and even extended counseling service.

[Bereavement Care for Parents in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit: A Literature Review]

Purpose

The purpose of this study was to review studies investigating the effect of bereavement care provided for parents in the neonatal intensive care unit.

Methods

We conducted a literature review of databases (MEDLINE, Embase, Cochrane Library, and CINAHL) for studies published in English and four databases (RISS, KISS, NANET, and KoreaMed) for Korean studies. The selection criteria included original articles that evaluated the parents' perceptions or responses to bereavement care provided in the neonatal intensive care unit. Of 889 articles from the initial screening, 66 articles underwent full-text review and five articles were finally selected for analysis.

Results

None of the studies was conducted in Korea. Only one study used a randomized control trial design. The forms of bereavement care reviewed included a provision of a memory package, grief information, and emotional and/or social support from peers or health care providers. The effectiveness of bereavement care was measured by including grief, social support, and depression.

Conclusion

Bereavement care can be considered to be beneficial for relieving grief reactions and enhancing the personal growth of bereaved parents. Future research should assess the needs of bereaved parents in Korea. Nurses may play a role in developing the bereavement care for parents.

Healthcare Satisfaction and Unmet Needs Among Bereaved Parents in the NICU

BACKGROUND

Learning directly from bereaved parents about their experiences in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) can improve services at end-of-life (EOL) care. Parents who perceive that their infant suffered may report less satisfaction with care and may be at greater risk for distress after the death. Despite calls to improve EOL care for children, limited research has examined the EOL experiences of families in the NICU.

PURPOSE

We examined parent perceptions of their infant's EOL experience (eg, symptom burden and suffering) and satisfaction with care in the NICU.

METHODS/SEARCH STRATEGY

Forty-two mothers and 27 fathers (representing 42 infants) participated in a mixed-methods study between 3 months and 5 years after their infant's death (mean = 39.45 months, SD = 17.19). Parents reported on healthcare satisfaction, unmet needs, and infant symptoms and suffering in the final week of life.

FINDINGS/RESULTS

Parents reported high levels of healthcare satisfaction, with relative strengths in providers' technical skills and inclusion of the family. Greater perceived infant suffering was associated with lower healthcare satisfaction and fewer well-met needs at EOL. Parents' understanding of their infant's condition, emotional support, communication, symptom management, and bereavement care were identified as areas for improvement.

IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE

Parents value comprehensive, family-centered care in the NICU. Additionally, monitoring and alleviating infant symptoms contribute to greater parental satisfaction with care. Improving staff knowledge about EOL care and developing structured bereavement follow-up programs may enhance healthcare satisfaction and family outcomes.

IMPLICATIONS FOR RESEARCH

Prospective studies are needed to better understand parental perceptions of EOL care and the influence on later parental adjustment.

A Systematic Literature Review of the Current State of Knowledge Related to Interventions for Bereaved Parents

Aims:

The purpose of this systematic literature review is to describe the interventions for bereaved parents, evaluate intervention effectiveness through study methodology rigor, replicability, and theoretical foundations.

Methods:

We searched MEDLINE via PubMed (1966-2018), CINAHL (1937-present), PsycINFO (1887-present), and Embase (1947-present) using various search words and MeSH terms related to the study purpose. A blinded screening of title/abstract was performed, with conflicting inclusion decisions resolved through group discussions. Matrices for remaining articles were created and discussed among the team. The levels of evidence of the 9 records were rated from very low to high based on the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development, and Evaluation guidelines.

Results:

Our initial pool included 1025 articles. After the screening of titles/abstracts, 63 articles were retained for full-text reviews. Evaluated based on the inclusion/exclusion criteria, 9 records met the review criteria. Of the 9 records, 1 was graded as very low, 3 low, and 5 low to moderate. The interventions for bereaved parents varied from using single-model interventions such as expressive arts therapy and telephone support to multimodal interventions that combined resources (ie, peer support, resource packets, and health-care support). Only 1 study explicitly illustrated how its bereavement intervention was designed based on the proposed theoretical model.

Conclusions:

This review highlights the need for individualized, well-tested, and effective bereavement care interventions to support bereaved parents. In summary, the state of the science on interventions for bereaved parents is poor and much work needs to be done to effectively address the needs of bereaved parents, including both their physical and emotional health needs.

Is there a role for clowns in paediatric intensive care units?

Hospital clowning is a programme in healthcare facilities involving visits from specially trained actors. In the paediatric intensive care unit (PICU), clowning may appear inappropriate and less intuitive. The patient could appear too ill and/or sedated, the environment too crowded or chaotic and the parents too stressed. Relying on our experience with professionally trained clowns both in France and Canada, the purpose of this article is to offer a model for hospital clowning and to suggest standards of practice for the implementation of clowning in PICUs. In this work, we provide a framework for the implementation of clown care in the PICU, to overcome the challenges related to the complex technical environment, the patient's critical illness and the high parental stress levels. Regardless of the specifics of the PICU, our experience suggests that professional clown activity is feasible, safe and can offer multiple benefits to the child, his/her parents and to hospital personnel. Due to the specific challenges in the PICU, clowns must be educated and prepared to work in this highly specialised environment. We stress that prior to clowning in a PICU, professional performers must be highly trained, experienced, abide by a code of ethics and be fully accepted by the treating healthcare team.

Measurement of parent satisfaction in the paediatric intensive care unit - Translation, cultural adaptation and psychometric equivalence for the French-speaking version of the EMPATHIC-65 questionnaire

INTRODUCTION

Within paediatric intensive care units (PICUs), only a few parent satisfaction instruments are validated and none are available for French-speaking parents. The aims of the study were to translate and culturally adapt the Dutch EMPATHIC-65 questionnaire into a French version and to test its psychometric equivalence.

METHODS

Two French-speaking PICUs in Switzerland and France participated. The questionnaire was translated using a standardised method and parents with PICU experience were interviewed to assess clarity of the translated version. Secondly, parents of children hospitalised for at least 24 hours and who were fluent in French, were invited to complete the French translated version of the EMPATHIC-65 questionnaire. Reliability and validity measures were used to examine its psychometric equivalence.

RESULTS

The overall mean clarity agreement reached 90.2% by 17 French-speaking parents. Eight unclear items have subsequently been reworded. One hundred seventy-two parents completed the French version questionnaire. Reliability and convergent validity have been confirmed by an adequate internal consistency (0.59-0.89) and convergent validity (r_s 0.25-0.63, p<0.01).

CONCLUSION

Psychometric equivalence of the French EMPATHIC-65 questionnaire highlights the appropriateness of relying on available valid instrument to expand the availability of health instrument measure in French.

Bereavement Follow-Up After the Death of a Child as a Standard of Care in Pediatric Oncology

After a child's death to cancer, families commonly want continued connection with the healthcare team that cared for their child, yet bereavement follow-up is often sporadic. A comprehensive literature search found that many bereaved parents experience poor psychological outcomes during bereavement and that parents want follow-up and benefit from continued connection with their child's healthcare providers. Evidence suggests that the standard of care should consist of at least one meaningful contact between the healthcare team and bereaved parents to identify those at risk for negative psychosocial sequelae and to provide resources for bereavement support.

Integrating palliative care into the PICU: a report from the Improving Palliative Care in the ICU Advisory Board

OBJECTIVE

This review highlights benefits that patients, families and clinicians can expect to realize when palliative care is intentionally incorporated into the PICU.

DATA SOURCES

We searched the MEDLINE database from inception to January 2014 for English-language articles using the terms "palliative care" or "end of life care" or "supportive care" and "pediatric intensive care." We also hand-searched reference lists and author files and relevant tools on the Center to Advance Palliative Care website.

STUDY SELECTION

Two authors (physicians with experience in pediatric intensive care and palliative care) made final selections.

DATA EXTRACTION

We critically reviewed the existing data and tools to identify strategies for incorporating palliative care into the PICU.

DATA SYNTHESIS

The Improving Palliative Care in the ICU Advisory Board used data and experience to address key questions relating to: pain and symptom management, enhancing quality of life, communication and decision-making, length of stay, sites of care, and grief and bereavement.

CONCLUSIONS

Palliative care should begin at the time of a potentially life-limiting diagnosis and continue throughout the disease trajectory, regardless of the expected outcome. Although the PICU is often used for short term postoperative stabilization, PICU clinicians also care for many chronically ill children with complex underlying conditions and others receiving intensive care for prolonged periods. Integrating palliative care delivery into the PICU is rapidly becoming the standard for high quality care of critically ill children. Interdisciplinary ICU staff can take advantage of the growing resources for continuing education in pediatric palliative care principles and interventions.

Family-centered care in the pediatric intensive care unit

Patient-centered and family-centered care (PFCC) has been endorsed by many professional health care organizations. Although variably defined, PFCC is an approach to care that is respectful of and responsive to the preferences, needs, and values of individual patients and their families. Research regarding PFCC in the pediatric intensive care unit has focused on 4 areas including (1) family visitation; (2) family-centered rounding; (3) family presence during invasive procedures and cardiopulmonary resuscitation; and (4) family conferences. Although challenges to successful implementation exist, the growing body of evidence suggests that PFCC is beneficial to patients, families, and staff.

The Bereaved Parent Needs Assessment: a new instrument to assess the needs of parents whose children died in the pediatric intensive care unit*

OBJECTIVES

To evaluate the reliability and validity of the Bereaved Parent Needs Assessment, a new instrument to measure parents' needs and need fulfillment around the time of their child's death in the pediatric intensive care unit. We hypothesized that need fulfillment would be negatively related to complicated grief and positively related to quality of life during bereavement.

DESIGN

Cross-sectional survey.

SETTING

Five U.S. children's hospital pediatric intensive care units.

SUBJECTS

Parents (n = 121) bereaved in a pediatric intensive care unit 6 months earlier.

INTERVENTIONS

Surveys included the 68-item Bereaved Parent Needs Assessment, the Inventory of Complicated Grief, and the abbreviated version of the World Health Organization Quality of Life questionnaire. Each Bereaved Parent Needs Assessment item described a potential need and was rated on two scales: 1) a 5-point rating of importance (1 = not at all important, 5 = very important) and 2) a 5-point rating of fulfillment (1 = not at all met, 5 = completely met). Three composite scales were computed: 1) total importance (percentage of all needs rated ≥4 for importance), 2) total fulfillment (percentage of all needs rated ≥4 for fulfillment), and 3) percent fulfillment (percentage of important needs that were fulfilled). Internal consistency reliability was assessed by Cronbach's α and Spearman-Brown-corrected split-half reliability. Generalized estimating equations were used to test predictions between composite scales and the Inventory of Complicated Grief and World Health Organization Quality of Life questionnaire.

MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS

Two items had mean importance ratings <3, and 55 had mean ratings >4. Reliability of composite scores ranged from 0.92 to 0.94. Total fulfillment was negatively correlated with Inventory of Complicated Grief (r = -.29; p < .01) and positively correlated with World Health Organization Quality of Life questionnaire (r = .21; p < .05). Percent fulfillment was also significantly correlated with both outcomes. Adjusting for parent's age, education, and loss of an only child, percent fulfillment remained significantly correlated with Inventory of Complicated Grief but not with World Health Organization Quality of Life questionnaire.

CONCLUSIONS

The Bereaved Parent Needs Assessment demonstrated reliability and validity to assess the needs of parents bereaved in the pediatric intensive care unit. Meeting parents' needs around the time of their child's death may promote adjustment to loss.