Death Pronouncement and Notification Documentation SOP

Standardizes RN death pronouncement, physician and family notification, documentation of time of death, and coordination of body release.

Steps

• The RN verifies the patient identity and chart context
• The RN performs a 3-minute apnea observation, auscultates for heart sounds at apex for 60 seconds, assesses bilateral pupil reactivity and corneal reflexes, and documents absence of all findings; if any sign of life is present, escalate immediately to physician.
• The RN escalates uncertain findings to the physician
• The RN notifies the physician or authorized provider immediately
• The RN documents the time of death
• The RN notifies the family or designated contact
• The RN coordinates body release and postmortem handling
• The RN completes the final charting and handoff