Hospice Postmortem Care

Presented by Amy Rose and Clinical Procedure Manual Review Board

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Video Runtime: 7 Minutes

Postmortem care is the care of a patient’s body after death has occurred. The period after death occurs is a sacred time for many and can contribute significantly to a loved one’s grieving process. In this course, we’ll review the equipment and procedures for postmortem care. This course includes
• Video demonstrations of procedures
• Downloadable procedure guide PDFs
• Tips and best practices for performing these procedures

Postmortem care can include a variety of procedures that require sensitivity and an awareness of the patient’s cultural and/or religious preferences. Though declaration or assessment of death requires a medical provider or coroner, postmortem care can be provided by RNs, LPNs, or aides and often includes the spiritual care provider or social worker.

This course was reviewed by Amy Rose, RN, MSN, CHPN, and Jennifer Kennedy, EdD, MA, BSN, RN, CHC, to ensure the content meets current professional guidelines and best evidence-based practices.

Meet your instructors

Amy Rose

Amy Rose is a passionate end-of-life-care nurse, leader, and educator. Amy holds an applied nursing master’s degree in executive leadership and has dedicated the majority of her career to developing both people and processes in the post-acute care space. Amy has worked in clinically and technically complex roles ranging from…

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Clinical Procedure Manual Review Board

The MedBridge Clinical Procedure Manual Review Board ensures the development and maintenance of up-to-date and evidence-based clinical procedures. The review board is composed of leading nurse experts in the field: Danielle Pierotti, RN, PhD, CENP, and Margherita Labson, RN, BSN, MSHSA. The review board is involved in…

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Chapters & learning objectives

1. Introduction

This chapter includes an introduction to hospice postmortem care, information on all of the equipment needed for this procedure, and recommended infection control policies.

2. Procedure: Hospice Postmortem Care

This chapter will provide a step-by-step procedure guide and video demonstration of hospice postmortem care.

3. Tips, Precautions, and Care Considerations

This chapter provides tips and considerations for performing postmortem care for hospice.

4. Documentation Guidelines

This chapter provides recommendations on what to note when documenting for patients receiving hospice postmortem care.

5. Patient Education

This chapter provides information on education for the patient's family, friends, and caregivers.

6. Conclusion

This chapter includes learning assessment questions to assess the learner’s knowledge of skills covered in this course. A bibliography of referenced material is also included.