New publication: Paramedic student preparation for death, dying and bereavement care

Anxious paramedic in bed with grim reaper [AI-generated image]

Photo of simulation set-up

Paramedics deliver bad news and provide bereavement care to grieving families. Despite this, paramedics receive little formal education regarding termination of resuscitation, death and bereavement care. An interprofessional team of University of Auckland and AUT researchers have evaluated a novel learning module designed to help paramedics prepare for death and bereavement care. Paramedic students in the final year of their degree participated in:

• A brief taught session about resuscitation decision-making and patient death

• Small-group case studies on the termination of resuscitation

• Actor-led simulations of patient death and acute family grief

Student perceptions of learning were then sought through a combination of focus groups and an anonymous online survey.