What did the project involve? The team aimed to create a coordinated system of obtaining and processing samples taken to help determine cause of death in infants who die suddenly and unexpectedly (SUDI), within an Emergency Department setting. This would enable them to maximise the time available to care for bereaved parents.How does it improve patient care? The SUDI Box lives in a quiet corner of the paediatric resuscitation area of the ED. When the horrendous scenario of a death in infancy unfolds, the Box is opened, coming into its own. Inside, the clinician has everything needed to detail information and collect the crucial peri-mortem samples that can provide clues as to why the infant died. It is simple to use in the high-stress environment, yet the complexities behind its design allow the right samples to taken, quickly and discretely, uniquely and securely (in physical and legal terms) specific to that case and sealed in the same Box.
Shared learning After five years the box has been used in 32 cases and adopted by six trusts. All documentation is available to other trusts, including where to source everything needed to create your own system. The team share the ups and downs of creating and sustaining a SUDI Box, supporting its implementation where they can.
For more information from Heidi Cox (senior clinical biochemist), Hull & East Yorkshire Hospitals NHS Trust, email [email protected] or call 01482 607801