Volume 10, Issue 2: Sudden traumatic death

The unique challenges associated with sudden traumatic death – non-clinical considerations for the pre-hospital environment

You are on your way to one of your regular standby points when control pass you an incident: one-vehicle road traffic collision (RTC), driver ejected, police on scene. When you arrive on scene it soon becomes clear that you can do little for the deceased and you hear screaming and sobbing that is getting louder. What could you do to best manage the scene?

CPD Benefit

Front-line ambulance staff deal with sudden death on a regular basis. Sudden death is itself complicated; however, when that sudden death is also traumatic, it brings with it a unique set of complications and challenges. This article examines some of the key issues around sudden traumatic death such as grief reactions and stages and how to break bad news and care for the loved ones. It also highlights the importance of self-care, recognising the emotional, psychological and physical effects of continued exposure to human suffering and the importance of asking of help if you need to. By gaining an appreciation of these issues, you will be better equipped to deal with those affected and thereby better support them.

Assessment Answers and References

You can check your answers to the quiz and download the references for this article by clicking the links below:

Standby CPD Volume 10 – Assessment Answers

Standby CPD – Vol. 10 No. 2 – References