Caring for Dying Children: A Systematic Review of the Literature

Authors

Megan Watts, Brigham Young University
Debra Mills, Brigham Young University

Keywords

dying children, pediatric nurses, childhood death

College

Nursing

Abstract

The death of a child is experienced with great resistance because it is understood as an interruption in the life cycle—often seen as untimely and unfair. Pediatric nurses care for children in high-mortality environments, such as the pediatric intensive care and oncology units and, as a result, are directly affected by childhood death (Papadatou, 2000). Caring for a dying child and their family is an emotionally charged situation (American Academy of Pediatrics, 2000; Catlin and Carter, 2001; Stutts and Schloemann, 2002). Nurses spend much time caring for their patients but forget to look after themselves. Caring for the nurse is an often-forgotten component of nursing that can affect quality of care.

Recommended Citation

Watts, Megan and Mills, Debra (2015) "Caring for Dying Children: A Systematic Review of the Literature," Journal of Undergraduate Research: Vol. 2015: Iss. 1, Article 185.
Available at: https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/jur/vol2015/iss1/185