Strategies by the Health Team for Coping with the Death of Children and Adolescents with Cancer

Abstract

Introduction: Cancer deaths among children and adolescents are often difficult for health professionals to cope with. If they do not have adequate ways to deal with this grief, psychological, emotional and physical problems may arise, exposing them to burnout or the so called burned-out worker syndrome.
Objective: To reveal the strategies used by health professionals and technicians in Chilean public hospitals to cope with the death of children with cancer.
Methods: Qualitative and phenomenological research carried out in five public hospitals in Santiago, Chile, between May and September 2017. The population was made up of 37 health professionals and technicians who experienced the death of children and adolescents with cancer. In-depth interviews were conducted, guided by the following question: How have you coped with the death of patients in your unit? The narratives were transcribed and analyzed according to the stages described by Streubert. In addition, the data were triangulated until saturation was reached.
Results: The main strategies were to participate in farewell rites in the face of death, to carry out recreational activities with team members outside the workday, to make changes in the work routine, as well as to separate personal and professional aspects. When perceiving low support from the institution, they proposed facilitating attendance at the funeral, developing formal bereavement support interventions, carrying out self-care, and incorporating the matter of death into work inductions.
Conclusion: Professionals and technicians have strategies to cope with their bereavement. However, they need formal support from the institution, together with continuous training on the matter. It is essential for the institution to become involved in this issue.