Be prepared to leave the room quickly. Ask the family if they wish to have a few minutes alone, and then leave them in the room to grieve in private if they so desire. Such statements may suggest to the family that you feel you did not handle the medical aspects of the case well enough or that you have something to hide. If the family has any questions about the medical care that the deceased received, it is best to discuss these questions openly a week or so later, when everyone, both family and physician, is calmer. Viewing the deceased Ask the family if they would like to see the person who has died.
Most families wish to do so and find it a therapeutic experience.
It is a last visit to the family member they knew, it confirms death as a normal and open part of life and, we feel, it counteracts denial. A clergyman may be called to be present at that time, if the family wishes. Dignified and proper handling of their deaths is the final act that we perform for our patients. The Democracy of Death, It comes equally to us all and makes us all equal when it comes.