Parental Bereavement in the PICU: Lessons Learned for Clinicians
Learning Objectives
Distinguish key concepts: bereavement, grief, mourning, and complicated grief
Summarize known physical and psychological health outcomes for bereaved parents
Explain why parental bereavement after child death is uniquely intense and high‑risk
Apply evidence‑informed strategies to support parents before death, at the time of death, and after death in the ICU
Evaluate the role of follow‑up meetings and clinician communication in mitigating long‑term bereavement complications
Author(s)
Kathleen Meert, MD
Professor | Central Michigan University, College of Medicine
Chair of Pediatrics | Central Michigan University, College of Medicine
Lisa DelSignore, MD
Associate Professor, Fellowship Program Director, Pediatric Critical Care Medicine | Yale University
Jefferey Burns, MD, MPH
Assoc. Chief Medical Officer, Critical Care Services; Shapiro Chair in Critical Care Medicine, Division of Critical Care MedicineDirector, OPENPediatrics; Sr. Assoc. in Critical Care Medicine; Department of Anesthesiology, Critical Care & Pain Medicine | Boston Children's Hospital
Professor of Anesthesia | Harvard Medical School
Citation
Meert K, DelSignore L, Burns JP. Parental Bereavement in the PICU: Lessons Learned for Clinicians. 11/2016. Online Video. OPENPediatrics. https://learn.openpediatrics.org/learn/course/internal/view/elearning/3216/parental-bereavement-in-the-picu-lessons-learned-for-clinicians.