An adolescent is brought to the ED after a vehicular accident and is pronounced dead on arrival (DOA). When the parents arrive at the hospital, what is the priority action by the nurse?
a) Ask them to sit in the waiting room until she can spend time alone with them.
b) Speak to one parent at a time in a private setting so that each can ventilate feelings of loss without upsetting the other.
c) Speak to both parents together and encourage them to support each other and express their emotions freely.
d) Ask the emergency physician to medicate the parents so that they can handle their child's unexpected death quietly and without hysteria.
Asnwer: Speak to both parents together and encourage them to support each other and express their emotions freely.