While pediatric cardiac arrests are thankfully rare, their shock waves can seem incalculable. Several studies have outlined the mental health toll that these events can have on everyone involved.

There is an appreciable increase in issues among providers including mental health concerns among providers such as PTSD, burn out, or even leaving the profession all together.

While the effects can in no way be completely mitigated, one strategy is to have a stress debriefing after the event- ideally in the same shift.

Consider all the ED and hospital staff involved – including EMS – and allow for an open discussion of both medical facts of the case as well as feelings and emotions surrounding the event.

Read More