Developmental Understanding of Death
This age group has no concept of death & reacts mainly to separation.
What are infants and toddlers?
PC focuses on improving this for patients & families.
What is quality of life?
Peds end-of-life decisions often involve these 2 parties.
What are the parents and the child?
Children may lose this sense first as death approaches.
What is movement or sensation?
Consistent caregivers and routines provide this to dying children.
What is comfort or security?
Children at this stage may think their thoughts caused someone’s death.
What are preschoolers?
Pediatric PC typically begins at this point in illness.
What is diagnosis?
This ethical principle emphasizes doing good for the pt.
What is beneficence?
A feeling of this may occur even if the body is cool to the touch.
What is heat?
Nurses should do this when parents are confused by a child laughing after a loss.
What is educate or explain it is a coping mechanism?
This age group begins to grasp the permanence of death & fear body mutilation.
What are school-age children?
This type of approach is essential in pediatric PC.
What is an interdisciplinary team approach?
This principle refers to avoiding harm.
What is nonmaleficence?
One common emotional sign in adolescents facing death is this.
What is withdrawal or depression?
In palliative care, this form of listening is essential when supporting families.
What is active listening?
Adolescents often feel this when facing their own death, due to their need for independence.
What is isolation or alienation?
RN’s role includes this type of management to promote comfort.
What is symptom management?
Nurses must advocate for the child to participate in decision-making to this extent.
What is age-appropriate or developmentally appropriate?
This physical change involves general body weakness near end of life.
What is muscle weakness?
RNs collaborate w/ these 2 professionals to help w/ emotional & spiritual needs.
What are chaplains and social workers?
Preschoolers often believe death is this, leading to denial or magical thinking.
What is temporary or reversible?
Name 2 non-physical types of suffering addressed by PC.
What are emotional and spiritual suffering?
Cultural & spiritual considerations must be balanced w/ this when making ethical decisions.
What is medical ethics or evidence-based care?
Nurses should interpret physical signs of death with this in mind.
What is compassion or empathy?
This is the most important nursing goal when a child is dying.
What is providing comfort and support to both the child and family?