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Summary
This article outlines the procedures following a death and examines funeral arrangements, including the different types of burial and the cremation process.
Keywords
Bereavement; Death; Death: practical procedures
These keywords are based on the subject headings from the British Nursing Index. This article has been subject to double-blind review. For author and research article guidelines visit the Nursing Standard home page at nursingstandard.rcnpublishing.co.uk. For related articles visit our online archive and search using the keywords.
HEALTHCARE PROFESSIONALS strive to provide the highest standard of care to patients. However, sometimes the patient for whom the nurse has been caring dies as a result of illness or the ageing process.
Dealing with death is never easy, no matter how many times nurses have to cope with it during their careers. For nursing students, dealing with a death for the first time can be traumatic. Any death, whether expected or not, can cause turmoil for those involved (Kendrick 1998). Grief affects everyone concerned emotionally, physically, behaviourally or psychologically, immediately or shortly after a death (Read 2002, Help the Aged 2008). In the author's experience the grieving process can begin before a person has died.
Dealing with the practical issues related to death, such as who to involve, care of the body and funeral arrangements, can be stressful, and nurses are often asked by relatives what they should do next. Relatives have come to know and trust nurses while they have been caring for their loved one, and look to them for help and support during this distressing time. Therefore, it is important that healthcare professionals, whether working in the community or in acute settings, have some knowledge of the practical procedures following a death.
Registering a death
If the cause of death is known the medical practitioner attending the deceased person will complete the medical certificate, stating the cause of death. This certificate is then taken by the patient's spouse or partner, or another relative or friend, to the local register office.
Other documents and information required to register a death are listed in Box 1 . If the attending doctor is unsure about the cause of death, for example if it is a sudden death, the deceased's circumstances must be reported to the coroner (Dorries...