Emergency ambulance care of families during death, dying, and bereavement: A document analysis of Australian and Aotearoa New Zealand clinical practice guidelines.
- Publisher:
- Elsevier
- Publication Type:
- Journal Article
- Citation:
- Australas Emerg Care, 2025, 28, (4), pp. 294-299
- Issue Date:
- 2025-12
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Full metadata record
| Field | Value | Language |
|---|---|---|
| dc.contributor.author | Satchell, E | |
| dc.contributor.author | Gott, M | |
| dc.contributor.author | Juhrmann, M | |
| dc.contributor.author | Dicker, B | |
| dc.contributor.author | Anderson, NE | |
| dc.date.accessioned | 2026-07-15T03:11:39Z | |
| dc.date.available | 2025-06-22 | |
| dc.date.available | 2026-07-15T03:11:39Z | |
| dc.date.issued | 2025-12 | |
| dc.identifier.citation | Australas Emerg Care, 2025, 28, (4), pp. 294-299 | |
| dc.identifier.issn | 2589-1375 | |
| dc.identifier.issn | 2588-994X | |
| dc.identifier.uri | http://hdl.handle.net/10453/195671 | |
| dc.description.abstract | BACKGROUND: Ambulance personnel play an important role in supporting families during death, dying, and bereavement. Evidence-based clinical practice guidelines are crucial for ensuring high-quality ambulance care. However, it is unknown what guidance currently informs care of bereaved families. This document analysis examines ambulance guidelines pertaining to family care in out-of-hospital death in Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand. METHODS: Clinical practice guidelines were sourced from all Australian and Aotearoa New Zealand ambulance services. Using qualitative document analysis, guidance addressing family care during death, dying, and bereavement was examined. Analysis was conducted using a customised coding framework informed by the Australian National Consensus Statement: Essential Elements for safe and high-quality end-of-life care. RESULTS: While most guidelines included essential elements of end-of-life care, there was significant heterogeneity in the scope, detail and nature of guidance. Care instructions varied between services, populations and clinical scenarios. Guidance pertaining to culturally safe care was limited. CONCLUSIONS: Ambulance clinical guidance remains focused on technical skills during resuscitation, death, and dying. More guidance is needed to inform important elements of family care such as communication, family partnership, and cultural safety. Incorporating evidenced-based principles of end-of-life care presents an opportunity to improve ambulance support for bereaved families. | |
| dc.format | Print-Electronic | |
| dc.language | eng | |
| dc.publisher | Elsevier | |
| dc.relation.ispartof | Australas Emerg Care | |
| dc.relation.isbasedon | 10.1016/j.auec.2025.06.004 | |
| dc.rights | info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess | |
| dc.subject | 1110 Nursing, 1117 Public Health and Health Services | |
| dc.subject.classification | Nursing | |
| dc.subject.classification | 3202 Clinical sciences | |
| dc.subject.classification | 4203 Health services and systems | |
| dc.subject.classification | 4205 Nursing | |
| dc.subject.mesh | Humans | |
| dc.subject.mesh | Australia | |
| dc.subject.mesh | New Zealand | |
| dc.subject.mesh | Ambulances | |
| dc.subject.mesh | Bereavement | |
| dc.subject.mesh | Emergency Medical Services | |
| dc.subject.mesh | Qualitative Research | |
| dc.subject.mesh | Family | |
| dc.subject.mesh | Terminal Care | |
| dc.subject.mesh | Practice Guidelines as Topic | |
| dc.subject.mesh | Guidelines as Topic | |
| dc.subject.mesh | Document Analysis | |
| dc.subject.mesh | Humans | |
| dc.subject.mesh | Terminal Care | |
| dc.subject.mesh | Bereavement | |
| dc.subject.mesh | Family | |
| dc.subject.mesh | Qualitative Research | |
| dc.subject.mesh | Ambulances | |
| dc.subject.mesh | Emergency Medical Services | |
| dc.subject.mesh | Australia | |
| dc.subject.mesh | New Zealand | |
| dc.subject.mesh | Guidelines as Topic | |
| dc.subject.mesh | Practice Guidelines as Topic | |
| dc.subject.mesh | Document Analysis | |
| dc.subject.mesh | Humans | |
| dc.subject.mesh | Australia | |
| dc.subject.mesh | New Zealand | |
| dc.subject.mesh | Ambulances | |
| dc.subject.mesh | Bereavement | |
| dc.subject.mesh | Emergency Medical Services | |
| dc.subject.mesh | Qualitative Research | |
| dc.subject.mesh | Family | |
| dc.subject.mesh | Terminal Care | |
| dc.subject.mesh | Practice Guidelines as Topic | |
| dc.subject.mesh | Guidelines as Topic | |
| dc.subject.mesh | Document Analysis | |
| dc.title | Emergency ambulance care of families during death, dying, and bereavement: A document analysis of Australian and Aotearoa New Zealand clinical practice guidelines. | |
| dc.type | Journal Article | |
| utslib.citation.volume | 28 | |
| utslib.location.activity | Australia | |
| utslib.for | 1110 Nursing | |
| utslib.for | 1117 Public Health and Health Services | |
| pubs.organisational-group | University of Technology Sydney | |
| pubs.organisational-group | University of Technology Sydney/Faculty of Health | |
| pubs.organisational-group | University of Technology Sydney/UTS Groups | |
| pubs.organisational-group | University of Technology Sydney/UTS Groups/Improving Palliative, Aged and Chronic Care through Clinical Research and Translation (IMPACCT) | |
| utslib.copyright.status | open_access | * |
| dc.rights.license | This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0). To view a copy of this license, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ | |
| dc.date.updated | 2026-07-15T03:11:37Z | |
| pubs.issue | 4 | |
| pubs.publication-status | Published | |
| pubs.volume | 28 | |
| utslib.citation.issue | 4 |
Abstract:
BACKGROUND: Ambulance personnel play an important role in supporting families during death, dying, and bereavement. Evidence-based clinical practice guidelines are crucial for ensuring high-quality ambulance care. However, it is unknown what guidance currently informs care of bereaved families. This document analysis examines ambulance guidelines pertaining to family care in out-of-hospital death in Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand. METHODS: Clinical practice guidelines were sourced from all Australian and Aotearoa New Zealand ambulance services. Using qualitative document analysis, guidance addressing family care during death, dying, and bereavement was examined. Analysis was conducted using a customised coding framework informed by the Australian National Consensus Statement: Essential Elements for safe and high-quality end-of-life care. RESULTS: While most guidelines included essential elements of end-of-life care, there was significant heterogeneity in the scope, detail and nature of guidance. Care instructions varied between services, populations and clinical scenarios. Guidance pertaining to culturally safe care was limited. CONCLUSIONS: Ambulance clinical guidance remains focused on technical skills during resuscitation, death, and dying. More guidance is needed to inform important elements of family care such as communication, family partnership, and cultural safety. Incorporating evidenced-based principles of end-of-life care presents an opportunity to improve ambulance support for bereaved families.
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