• Claudia Delgado-Corcoran, Sarah E Wawrzynski, Kelly Mansfield, Erin Fuchs, Chelsea Yeates, Brian F Flaherty, Mark Harousseau, Lawrence Cook, and Jake Van Epps.
• Division of Critical Care, Department of Pediatrics, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah, USA.
• J Palliat Med. 2024 Feb 1; 27 (2): 236240236-240.

AbstractBackground: The grief that accompanies witnessing the death of a child puts health care professionals at risk of secondary trauma, burnout, and turnover when left unaddressed. Objective: Support staff well-being and promote resiliency. Methods: Descriptive implementation of a structured, peer-to-peer bereavement support program for intensive care unit (ICU) staff at a tertiary children's hospital. Results: Thirty-five virtual sessions were held over the period of one year.Through these sessions, participants shared perspectives and normalized reactions, and explored potential coping strategies. Post-session feedback surveys demonstrated the negative impact of a death on the personal or work life of ICU staff. Additionally, nearly all reported some level of burnout. Conclusions: The sessions were feasible and positively impacted staff coping and well-being. Barriers and facilitators to session attendance, as well as suggestions for improvement, were also explored. Implications for practice and future research are discussed. No clinical trial registration is applicable.

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