Trauma and Death in the Emergency Department: A Time to PAUSE (Promoting Acknowledgment, Unity, and Sympathy at the End of Life).

Background: Witnessing death can be difficult and emotionally draining for health care workers and presents a risk factor for burnout. The practice of a ritual pause at patient death to recognize the patient as a person, reflect, and acknowledge the health care team is an emerging intervention that has not been well studied in trauma.

Objective: This study aims to explore the effect of a team pause on trauma team member attitudes after emergency department patient death.