Bridging the Gap between the Living and the Nonliving

Bridging the Gap between the Living and the Nonliving

What Can Nurses Do?
A. For living victims, families, and perpetrators:
1. Assess for injuries
2. Treat all with respect and maintain their dignity
3. Treat all with a team approach
4. Forensic nurses can assist victims and families directly and indirectly
a. With physical healing
(1) Nutritionally
(2) Medically
b. With emotional healing
c. By meeting their psychosocial needs
d. By meeting their mental health needs
e. By expressing empathy and sympathy
f. By expressing an understanding of what victims and families are saying
g. By identifying family disharmony and offering resources to help
h. By asking victims and families what they see as needed resources, then helping victims and families get connected with those resources available to them
i. By interpreting what has taken place, defining terms or other things that are not understood by victims, families, and even the perpetrator, such as those concerning
(1) Medical conditions
(2) Surgery
(3) Medications
(4) Activities suitable for their medical condition
(5) Outcomes
(6) Goals
(7) Short- and long-range plans
(8) Cause and effect of illness and injury or surgery and rehabilitation
(9) The medicolegal system
(10) Legal resources when necessary

B. For the nonliving victims, families, and perpetrators:
1. Assess the situation
2. Treat them all with respect and maintain their dignity
3. Explain to survivors the terminology used in death and death investigation
4. Assist survivors and their families directly and indirectly with
a. Physical healing
(1) Nutritionally
(2) Medically
b. Emotional healing
c. Psychosocial needs
d. Mental health needs
e. Empathy and sympathy
f. Understanding of grieving and mourning their loved ones
g. Family issues resulting from a death
h. Resources available for short- and long-term issues that are present
i. Deciphering information and helping survivors understand it
(1) As it applies to victim identification
(2) As it includes laboratory testing to ensure a positive identification of the deceased by means of
(a) DNA testing for a positive identification
(b) Dental records
(3) Regarding upsetting questions that help with identification or that are asked by strangers, such as law enforcement, health care personnel, insurance providers, mortuary personnel, and medical examiners, concerning such things as
(a) Scars
(b) Clothing
(c) Birthmarks
(d) Defining characteristics
j. Explaining what an autopsy entails and why it may be necessary; assuring families that their loved one will be treated with dignity and respect
k. Providing information and resources regarding organ donation decisions
l. Explaining the death certificate and terminology used on it
(1) Cause of death
(2) Mechanism of death
(3) Manner of death
m. Discussing the outcomes and findings of
(1) The medicolegal autopsy
(2) The medical cause of death of their loved one
n. Discussing the goals of the family or caregivers
o. Discussing how a death investigation proceeds and a general time line of expected events
p. Discussing long-range plans of the
(1) Family
(2) Medical examiner
(3) Legal system
q. Discussing the cause and effect of the illness or injury leading to the death of the loved one
r. Offering families
(1) A better understanding of the entirety of the situation in terms they can comprehend and deal with
(2) A time to ask the questions they need to ask and clearing up misconceptions
(3) A time for answering questions pertaining to the death of their loved one

Bridging the Gap and Providing Comprehension
A. Forensic nurses offer help for families by bridging the gap between the living and nonliving and a comprehension of the entire story.
B. Forensic nurses help families understand the impact that a traumatic injury or a death has on survivors.
C. Forensic nurses give families permission to ask questions and receive needed answers.
D. Forensic nurses answer questions for families on a level compatible with their understanding and cognitive processing.
E. Forensic nurses show respect for the loved and the lost.
F. Forensic nurses can be the “touchstones” or comforting links for families between what was once the life they knew and the new life they will begin to live.
G. Forensic nurses are able to help families learn to grieve and mourn their loss so they can begin the healing process.