Informing the family of sudden death.

Physicians are neither trained nor prepared for delivering the news of sudden death. The unique stresses which tax a physician during the medical or surgical emergency can affect the way he delivers the news. There are distinct strategies for preparing and delivering the news of death. An informative, chronologically ordered account of events up to and including the death, delivered after taking time to review all the facts, makes the task less stressful and is less likely to elicit unnecessary confusion and anger in survivors.