Pediatric Hospice Postmortem Care
Presented by Joan “Jody” Chrastek and Clinical Procedure Manual Review Board
This course outlines the essential clinical and emotional components of conducting a compassionate postmortem nursing visit in a pediatric setting. Because the loss of a child is profoundly devastating, families often experience intense grief, and their reactions can vary widely depending on the child’s developmental age and cultural background. Designed for hospice and palliative care nurses working in patients’ homes, this course emphasizes the need to maintain a family-centered approach in which the family retains control over the body and the environment after death. Students will learn to utilize NURSE statements to structure their empathetic communication while completing the required clinical task of verifying the absence of vital signs. By reviewing scenarios involving infants, school-age children, and teenagers, taking this course will help you master how to normalize physiological postmortem changes and adapt your support to honor each family’s unique grieving process.
Learning Outcomes
- Recognize the purpose and primary goals of pediatric postmortem care in a home-based hospice setting
- Demonstrate appropriate communication and interventions with the family
- Highlight the importance of integrating cultural and religious considerations into the postmortem care plan
Meet your instructors
Joan “Jody” Chrastek
Joan “Jody” Chrastek was born and brought up in India and trained as a nurse in Scotland. She has worked as a midwife and hospice nurse in the UK, India, and the USA with adults and children. She has worked in hospice and palliative care for more than 35 years in both inpatient and community settings. She has provided…
Clinical Procedure Manual Review Board
The Medbridge Clinical Procedure Manual Review Board ensures the development and maintenance of up-to-date and evidence-based clinical procedures. The review board is composed of leading nurse experts in the field: Danielle Pierotti, RN, PhD, CENP, and Margherita Labson, RN, BSN, MSHSA. The review board is involved in…
