Cultural Considerations
It is important for all parents to know that their child received the best of care and that everything that could have been done for the child – was. This is especially true for families concerned about cultural and/or socioeconomic issues.
Be sensitive to language barriers. Many parents have left the hospital not fully understanding the cause and/or contributing factors to their child’s death.
Try to share any information you can in a manner that will be easy for them to understand. If parents are monolingual in another language, or if English is their second language, every effort should be made to find translator fluent in both languages, with the appropriate medical background.
In crisis situations, family members should not be asked to translate for each other.
Be sensitive to cultural differences. Not all cultures express grief or respond to death in the same manner.
For more information see When an Infant Dies: Cross Cultural Expressions of Grieving and Loss