Caring for Children Who Die Unexpectedly: Patterns That Emerge Out of Chaos

Despite medical advances in technology, improved socioeconomics, and medical knowledge, an estimated 55,000 children die every year in the United States. A phenomenological study was conducted at a tertiary-quaternary children's hospital to determine the emerging patterns amidst the chaos with nurses caring for children dying unexpectedly. Implications for nursing practice include a progression of caring, a set of patterns that emerge out of the seeming chaos of a coding patient. These patterns shed light on the interactive relationships within the hospital and can foster collaboration among bedside nurses, advanced practice nurses, inter-professional team members, directors, and hospital administrators.