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The last offices are the procedures performed, usually by a nurse in the developed world, to a dead person shortly after death has been confirmed. They can vary from hospital to hospital, and culture to culture.
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Name
The word "offices" is related to the original latin, in which officium means "service, duty, business"[1]. Hence these are the "last duties" carried out on the body.
Procedure
Often the body of the deceased is left for an hour as a mark of respect[2]. The procedure then typically includes the following steps, though they can vary according to an institution's preferred practices[3]:
- Removal of jewellery unless requested otherwise by the deceased's family. If left on it must be documented in the patient's property list.
- Wounds, including pressure sores, should be covered with a waterproof dressing. Tube insertion points should be padded with gauze and tape to avoid purging.
- The patient is laid on his/her back with arms by their side (unless religious customs demand otherwise). Eyelids are closed.
- The jaw is often supported with a pillow or cervical collar.
- Dentures should be left in place, unless inappropriate.
- The bladder is drained by applying pressure on the lower abdomen. Orifices are blocked only if leakage of body fluid is evident.
- The body is then washed, the mouth cleaned and the face shaved.
- An identification bracelet is put on the ankle detailing: the name of the patient; date of birth; date of death; name of ward (if patient died in hospital).
References
External links
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- This page was last modified on 11 July 2008, at 02:28.
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