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Death Notification in the Emergency Department: Survivors and Physicians
Abstract
When patients die in the emergency department (ED), emergency physicians (EP) must disclose the bad news to family members. The death is often unexpected and the act of notification can be difficult. Many EPs have not been trained in the skill of communicating death to family members. This article reviews the available literature regarding ED death notification training and proposes future directions for educational interventions to improve physician communication in ED death disclosure. [West J Emerg Med 2013;14(2):181-185.]