title: Parents' experience of a follow-up meeting after a child's death in the Paediatric Intensive Care Unit.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  'To identify parents' experience of a follow up meeting and to explore whether the conversation was adequate to meet the needs of parents for a follow-up after their child's death in the Paediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU).
  
  
  METHODS
  Qualitative method utilising semi-structured interviews with six pairs of parents 2-12 weeks after the follow-up conversation. The interviews were held in the parents' homes at their request. Data were analysed using a qualitative, descriptive approach and thematic analysis.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Four main themes emerged: (i) the way back to the PICU; (ii) framework; (iii) relations and (iv) closure.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The parents expressed nervousness before the meeting, but were all pleased to have participated in these follow-up meetings. The parents found it meaningful that the follow-up meeting was interdisciplinary, since the parents could have answers to their questions both about treatment and care. It was important that the staff involved in the follow-up meeting were those who had been present through the hospitalisation and at the time of the child's death. Parents experienced the follow-up meeting as being a closure of the course in the PICU, regardless the length of the hospitalisation.
authors.affiliation: Department of Anesthesiology and Intensive Care, Odense University Hospital, Sdr. Boulevard 29, DK-5000 Odense C, Denmark. Electronic address: helle.brink@rsyd.dk.
authors.forename: Helle L
authors.initials: HL
authors.lastname: Brink
authors.affiliation: Department of Anesthesiology and Intensive Care, Odense University Hospital, Sdr. Boulevard 29, DK-5000 Odense C, Denmark.
authors.forename: Anja K
authors.initials: AK
authors.lastname: Thomsen
authors.affiliation: Department of Anesthesiology and Intensive Care, Odense University Hospital, Sdr. Boulevard 29, DK-5000 Odense C, Denmark.
authors.forename: Eva
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Laerkner
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003142:Communication; D003643:Death; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D015278:Intensive Care Units, Pediatric / Q000458:organization & administration; D008016:Life Change Events; D008297:Male; D010290:Parents / Q000523:psychology*; D011368:Professional-Family Relations; D036301:Qualitative Research
keywords: Death of a child; Follow-up; PICU; Paediatric intensive care; Parent's experience; Qualitative