Communicating with family when someone dies in the community: Six important steps for emergency ambulance personnel

Dr Natalie Anderson recently presented at the Australasian College of Paramedicine International Conference 2025 as part of a session dedicated to difficult conversations in the context of death, dying and bereavement. Paramedics consistently express a desire for more training in death notification and bereavement support. The Council of Ambulance Authorities then invited Natalie to publish on this topic in their biannual publication First by CAA.

The article introduces a six-step model for compassionate communication with family when emergency services are called to a death.

The framework highlights key elements of skilled, empathic interaction, but is not intended as a prescriptive checklist.