A Perspective on the Current State of Death Education

Wass, Hannelore

doi:10.1080/07481180490432315

Cited by 146 publications

(152 citation statements)

References 59 publications

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“…As Wass (2004) observed: ''The considerable amount of 'missing data' in several areas related to death education should be priorities for future research. Reliable estimates of death education at the college level .…”

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confidence: 88%

“…Yet many people are unprepared to grapple with these societal issues, or to deal with loss of life on a more personal level, partly because they lack education. Although our knowledge and abilities in terms of medical science are increasing, this is not necessarily accompanied by an increase in personal awareness; instead, many people still fear and avoid the topic of death (Wass, 2004).…”

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confidence: 99%

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Death and Dying Course Offerings in Psychology: A Survey of Nine Midwestern States

Eckerd

2009

Death Studies

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The certainty of facing death and bereavement and the complex personal and societal issues involved argue for the importance of death education. The current study addresses a gap in knowledge by beginning to assess the extent of dying, death, and bereavement (DD&B) course offerings by U.S. psychology departments. This article reports on data collected from an initial survey of psychology departments in nine Midwestern states. Approximately 20% of respondents have offered a DD&B course in the last 5 years. Reasons for lack of DD&B courses include faculty and curriculum issues, as well as DD&B topics being covered elsewhere. These issues are discussed, and data are compared with DD&B course coverage in health-related fields.

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confidence: 88%

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confidence: 99%

Death and Dying Course Offerings in Psychology: A Survey of Nine Midwestern States

Eckerd

2009

Death Studies

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“…3 Also, many nurses have received little formal education on palliative care and may feel uncomfortable or unprepared to care for children with life-threatening illnesses that may result in death. 6 Caring for critically ill children on a regular basis in which life-prolonging treatments are offered may elicit emotions of helplessness, anger, and stress in nurses and impede the quality care the nurses provide. 1,7,8 Few publications describe the experience of providing palliative care to children with life-threatening illnesses from the perspective of PICU nurses.…”

Section: About the Authorsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Living with Dying in the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit: A Nursing Perspective

Stayer

Lockhart

2016

American Journal of Critical Care

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Background Despite reported challenges encountered by nurses who provide palliative care to children, few researchers have examined this phenomenon from the perspective of nurses who care for children with life-threatening illnesses in pediatric intensive care units. Objectives To describe and interpret the essence of the experiences of nurses in pediatric intensive care units who provide palliative care to children with life-threatening illnesses and the children’s families. Methods A hermeneutic phenomenological study was conducted with 12 pediatric intensive care unit nurses in the northeastern United States. Face-to-face interviews and field notes were used to illuminate the experiences. Results Five major themes were detected: journey to death; a lifelong burden; and challenges delivering care, maintaining self, and crossing boundaries. These themes were illuminated by 12 subthemes: the emotional impact of the dying child, the emotional impact of the child’s death, concurrent grieving, creating a peaceful ending, parental burden of care, maintaining hope for the family, pain, unclear communication by physicians, need to hear the voice of the child, remaining respectful of parental wishes, collegial camaraderie and support, and personal support. Conclusion Providing palliative care to children with life-threatening illnesses was complex for the nurses. Findings revealed sometimes challenging intricacies involved in caring for dying children and the children’s families. However, the nurses voiced professional satisfaction in providing palliative care and in support from colleagues. Although the nurses reported collegial camaraderie, future research is needed to identify additional supportive resources that may help staff process and cope with death and dying.

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“…In a review of the current state of death education for service providers, Wass (2004) estimated that less than a fifth of students in health-related professions are exposed to sufficient death education. She further characterised death education in medical and health-related fields as "inadequate" (p. 293).…”

Section: Grief Educationmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…These studies and reviews highlight that the grief education of health providers is overlooked on the whole, and when it does exist, it is narrow in focus. Further, the education that does exist usually emphasizes "end-of-life" issues relevant to hospice settings and palliative care (see Barclay et al, 2003;Dickinson & Field, 2002;Wass, 2004) and the quality of the information presented on grief (in terms of theorists, models, etc.) is generally not known.…”

Section: Grief Educationmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Fundamental Paradox in the Grief Literature: A Critical Reflection

Breen

O’Connor

2007

Omega (Westport)

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A key theme in the bereavement literature is the recognition that every grief experience is unique and dependent on many variables, such as the circumstances of the death, characteristics of the bereaved individual, their relationship with the deceased, the provision and availability of support, and a myriad of sociocultural factors. Concurrently, there are corresponding efforts to define "normal" grief and delineate it from "complicated" grief experiences. The discord between these two potentially opposing statements remains a paradox evident within the three major tensions within the thanatological literature-the dominance of grief theories, the medicalization of grief, and the efficacy of grief interventions. Three recommendations for moving beyond the paradox are discussed-the provision of improved grief education for service providers, the bereaved, and the wider community; the conduct of research that emphasizes the context of grief and is relevant to service provision; and the examination of current grief interventions.A clear and consistent theme within the thanatological literature is the assertion that the grief experience is very much affected and influenced by a myriad of variables and the interactions between these variables. Various key reviews (e.g., Center for the Advancement

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A Perspective on the Current State of Death Education

Cited by 146 publications

References 59 publications

Death and Dying Course Offerings in Psychology: A Survey of Nine Midwestern States

Death and Dying Course Offerings in Psychology: A Survey of Nine Midwestern States

Living with Dying in the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit: A Nursing Perspective

The Fundamental Paradox in the Grief Literature: A Critical Reflection

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