Responding to Sudden Infant Death: First Responders
 This
page contains information
for first responders on handling sudden unexpected infant
death (SUID). It includes a discussion of the roles of emergency
medical technicians,
firefighters, emergency-room personnel, and coroners/medical
examiners who investigate and determine cause of death.
It includes information applicable nationwide and sample documents
from selected states.
Overview
Responding
to a sudden, unexpected infant death: The professional's
role. (2004). National Sudden Infant Death Syndrome Resource
Center.
Fact sheet for consumers explaining the different roles of
professionals responding to an infant's death.
Sudden,
unexpected infant death: Information for the emergency
medical technician. (2005). National Sudden Infant
Death Syndrome Resource Center.
Fact sheet for those first on the scene following the discovery of an infant
who has died.
Sudden, Unexplained
Infant Death Initiative (SUIDI): Overview.
(2007). Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
A federal initiative to standardize and improve data collected
at infant death scenes, promote consistent diagnosis and reporting
of cause and manner of death for SUID cases, and prevent SUIDs
by using improved data to monitor trends and identify those
at risk.
Featured Resources
Bereavement
practice guidelines for the healthcare professional in
the emergency department: Best practices in supporting
the family and staff when a child dies suddenly.
(1999) Lipton, H. & Coleman, M. National Association
of Social Workers.
Guidelines on preparing the emergency department to help families of a critically
ill or injured child who dies, what to do when the child and family arrive, what
to do when the child dies, follow-up steps after the death, and helping staff
cope with child deaths in the emergency department.
Emotional
impact on first responders and emergency medical personnel
in a SIDS incident. (N.D.). California Sudden
Infant Death Program.
Two-page handout.
Overcoming
language barriers: Solutions for law enforcement.
(2007) Shah, S., Rahman, I. & Khashu, A.
Vera
Institute of Justice, in cooperative agreement with the
U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Community Oriented
Policing Services.
Practical suggestions to overcome language barriers, including how to determine
language needs in a specific catchment area, the importance of language policies,
and the importance of ensuring that language-assistance services and resources
are easy to access.
A practical guide to the SIDS home visit (2005).
The California SIDS program.
Guide for health professionals who conduct home visits following
the sudden, unexpected death of an infant.
State
Spotlights. National MCH Center for Child Death
Review.
Information on state child death review programs, tools, reports, and data.
Sudden
Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS): State laws. (2008).
National Conference of State Legislatures.
State laws that include guidance for coroners and medical examiners; protocols
for autopsies of SIDS victims; requirements for SIDS experts on child fatality
review committees; provisions for SIDS advisory councils, education programs,
counseling programs, data collection, and research; and special training for
child
care personnel, firefighters, emergency medical technicians, and law-enforcement
officials.
Standards and Protocols
Executive
Order 13166, limited English proficiency resource document:
Tips and tools from the field (2004). U.S. Department
of Justice, Civil Rights Division.
Tips on responding to the needs of people with limited English proficiency (LEP)
as required by White House Executive Order 13166 of 2000, which addresses
federal and federally funded programs. Provides tips for 911 call centers, police,
courts, domestic violence specialists/service providers, and others.
Protocols. (2006). California Department of Health Services
and California SIDS Program.
Protocols for death scene investigations, autopsy, and contacts
by public health nurses following a SIDS death, along with
instruction forms.
San
Francisco police department general order: Language access
services for limited English proficient (LEP) persons.
(2007).
Example of a language-access policy for a law-enforcement agency.
Sudden,
Unexplained Infant Death Initiative (SUIDI): How to use
the SUIDI reporting form. (2007). Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention.
Instructions on using the SUIDI reporting form, a form for both novice and veteran
investigators of infant deaths designed to ensure that all information is collected
in a consistent, sensitive manner. Contains instructions, the form, and supplemental
forms.
The
unexpected death of an infant or child: Standards for services
to families. (2001, reprinted 2004). Association of
SIDS and Infant Mortality Programs.
Twelve standards in providing high-quality bereavement support
and risk-reduction services in a manner that is sensitive;
culturally competent; linguistically appropriate; and consistent
with the cultural beliefs, values, and practices of the families
and communities served. Includes information on interpreting
the standards, as well as an example of using some of the
standards in a case study (Appendix B).
These standards specifically address first responders:
STANDARD 2: First responders (i.e., law enforcement, fire,
ambulance personnel) will be knowledgeable of sudden infant
and child death and possess the necessary skills to respond
in a supportive, culturally competent manner to families who
have experienced a sudden, unexpected death.
STANDARD 3: Hospital emergency department personnel will respond
appropriately to the infant and child's final needs.
STANDARD 4: Hospital emergency department personnel will respond
in a supportive manner to families.
STANDARD 5: Investigative personnel will gather information
in a manner supportive to
families as they assist authorities responsible for determining
the cause of death.
STANDARD 6: Coroners or Medical Examiners will conduct the
death investigation in a
manner consistent with standard protocol, have knowledge
about causes of unexpected infant and child death and demonstrate
sensitivity to their role in addressing family needs.
STANDARD 12: Critical incident stress debriefing is a process
that should be available to all individuals involved with or
affected by the death of an infant or child, including mortality
review participants.
Training
Here are selected materials to support training for First
Responders.
Emergency
medical technician and first responder guidelines: SIDS
and other unexpected infant deaths. (2006). Arizona
Unexplained Infant Death Council.
Facts about SIDS and other unexpected infant deaths, duties of first
responders,
and an infant-death-investigation checklist.
First
responder training manual. (2008). First Candle.
Description of forthcoming manual/presentation.
Sudden,
Unexplained Infant Death Initiative (SUIDI): SUIDI training
material. (2007). Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention.
Training manual, guidelines for the scene investigator, and curriculum guide.
Training
materials. (2007). California SIDS Program.
Booklets, instructional manuals, curricula, and videos.
 24-7
EMS: SIDS and EMS Paramedic TV. online training video
for First Responders (5:50 min.). Deborah Robinson, Infant
Death Specialist from the SIDS Foundation of Washington discusses
the important role that EMS plays at the scene of a sudden
unexplained infant death
Additional Resources
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