“I wish you knew:” Partnering with bereaved parents in identifying existing supports and missed opportunities in the care of children and their families at end of life.

Purpose: Of the 55,000 children who die in the United States each year, the majority die in hospitals, during which time parents interact with many and varied health care practitioners. The words and actions of practitioners impact the parental grief experience. Previous research with bereaved parents has identified important areas in end of life (EOL) care including symptom managment, communication, continuity in relationships with practitioners caring for their child, and bereavement follow-up. To strengthen practitioner skills in pediatric EOL care, medical educators have increasingly included bereaved parents in small …