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Namah Code Krishna

practice helps to strengthen the holistic attitude protocol of care among their professional
through objectivity. We intend to further duties would give them a framework to
study and document the responses of the adhere to. Code Krishna is unique in that
relatives of patients, doctors, nursing staff it encourages healthcare professionals to
and other healthcare personnel. express care for the departed soul (for the
believers), while at the same time, eases the
Reflections grief of the bereaved family.

Code Krishna enables healthcare professionals Our model is unique also because it does
to fulfil one of their well-recognised respon- not rely on influences that are external to
sibilities, i.e. to provide the appropriate the hospital environment; the attempt is to
support and care to grieving families. Despite provide components of the spiritual tenor
the normative nature of this obligation, it is through the involvement of the entire treating
known that clinicians mostly fail to do what is team. Traditionally, the responsibility of
required of them (6). The culture of avoiding providing healing care and emotional support
death and dying in acute care hospitals to the bereaved family has been entrusted
remains a significant barrier to the provision to spiritual caregivers, such as chaplains and
of end-of-life care, even when the tools are nursing staff, in the case of institutional
available and accepted by the staff, due to deaths. As for deaths that take place in the
attitudinal issues (7). Our experiences should community, traditional healers shoulder this
encourage others to come up with similar responsibility. The medical team, however,
practices that are in line with the cultural is not called upon to play this role (4,8,9). In
milieu in which care is being provided. an environment in which resources are scarce
or individuals such as chaplains and nurses
Healthcare professionals provide care which are unavailable or unwilling to provide
is known to cure and/or extend life, as we healing care, a process that emanates from
know it. The medical team sees the end of life the medical team may have the same, or
as a defeat, or at the least, as a termination even better, influence. Not only does this
of the patient-doctor relationship. However, help the bereaved family cope better with its
sociocultural beliefs about existence often do loss, it may also have beneficial effects on the
not draw the final line at death and extend caregivers, who may have been under stress
the phenomenon of existence to a realm or formed strong emotional bonds with the
beyond death. Thus, relatives may believe deceased.
that the patient has gone into another life.
Whatever the personal beliefs or concepts of It is known that those working in ICUs have
the healthcare professionals, Code Krishna repeated exposure to death and grief. While
should be considered an extended aspect most of the staff may view caring for the dying
of the relationship with the family and/or as just one part of their duty to rationalise events,
departed individual. Since all healthcare such exposure can lead to occupational stress,
professionals may not have the ability to disenfranchised grief and ultimately, burnout.
provide this aspect of care or the attitude Emotional disengagement from caring for the
required to do so, including a clearly outlined dying may have an impact on the quality of

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