Communicating Unexpected and Violent Death: The Experiences of Police Officers and Health Care Professionals

Abstract

Background: The notification of unexpected and violent death represents a challenging experience for police officers and health workers. These professionals are exposed to very intense emotions during this task. Aim: We aimed to investigate the degree of preparation, and the emotions and attitudes of police officers and health professionals while communicating such a death. Method: An ad hoc online questionnaire was created and disseminated through Qualtrics software. The participants were recruited through the institutional channels of Police, the College of Physicians, the ONG De Leo Fund and the Department of General Psychology of the University of Padua. In this qualitative study, thematic content analysis was used to examine the responses. Results: A total of 155 individuals participated in the study (44 females, 111 males): 102 individuals were police officers, 23 were doctors and were 30 nurses. Five main themes were identified: (1) how the communication took place; (2) the experiences during the communication; (3) the difficulties encountered; (4) coping strategies, and (5) forms of support. Most communications were performed in person, and most represented an intense emotional experience for the notifiers. There is a generalised lack of specific preparation and training for this practice. The recipient’s characteristics (culture of origin, language, age, health conditions, psychological vulnerability) may add to the difficulties of the notification process. Professionals unload their tension by practicing sport, relying on their hobbies or interacting socially. The presence of other colleagues during and after the death notification is usually able to alleviate the burden of the communication. Conclusions: Communication modalities can have a profound impact on the recipients and intensify the trauma of the loss; however, they also have the possibility of mitigating it. The notification of a violent and unexpected death remains a difficult and challenging task for the notifier, which is potentially stressful and emotionally charged. The topic is of great relevance and more research should be promoted in this area.

Best Practices for Notification of Unexpected, Violent, and Traumatic Death: A Scoping Review

“…In general, the results of our review suggest against notification of death by telephone unless relatives have to spend several hours reaching their loved one [ 14 , 16 , 17 , 20 , 23 , 25 , 26 , 27 , 31 , 35 , 38 , 54 , 59 , 66 ].…”

“…In the first sub-category, seven studies investigated some aspects specific to death notification personnel: understanding the emotional responses of survivors [ 21 ]; developing strategic plans to manage notification [ 39 ]; analyzing survivors’ privacy mechanisms regarding bereavement [ 52 ]; describing how professional roles and related emotional vulnerabilities can influence the process [ 35 , 66 , 67 ]; and the specific functions that professional roles can assume in different contexts, such as in the notification of a child’s death to the parents [ 29 ]. The other articles in this sub-category have focused on the type of death and the context of notification.…”

“…We divided the studies related to this dimension into two sub-categories. One group investigated the current level of death notification training among various professionals, highlighting an educational gap and a high demand for death notification training by directly affected personnel [ 13 , 18 , 19 , 22 , 27 , 34 , 42 , 45 , 47 , 66 ]. In particular, it was noted the need to implement mnemonic protocols within specific teaching modules, explore the experiences of the actors involved, delivery styles, and emotion management strategies, raise awareness, and identify needs in order to prevent the negative impact of stressful contents from turning over and causing burnout.…”

“…In particular, it was noted the need to implement mnemonic protocols within specific teaching modules, explore the experiences of the actors involved, delivery styles, and emotion management strategies, raise awareness, and identify needs in order to prevent the negative impact of stressful contents from turning over and causing burnout. Only three studies targeted law enforcement agencies [ 15 , 59 , 64 ], two studies targeted various professionals [ 27 , 66 ], and the remainder were conducted within the hospital environment [ 13 , 18 , 19 , 22 , 34 , 42 , 45 , 47 ]. Finally, an article proposed the CADS measurement scale for assessing levels of communication anxiety and avoidance in the notifier as a useful tool for identifying training needs [ 53 ].…”