Morgue Access and Release of Deceased & Shrouding Guidelines

Policy Number:

CLI.4110.PR.006 Shrouding of Deceased

CLI.4110.PR.007 Morgue Access and Release of Deceased

Background:

No current guideline or direction exists for:
- How and when to shroud deceased.
- How to access the morgue and release of deceased at sites with a morgue.
Morgue Status Board – new electronic initiative from Shared Health for HIS program.

Key Message:

New – ERP Morgue Status Board:  Status Board for morgue visits developed for tracking deceased person in and out of facility morgues.  All deceased including stillbirth, products of conception, DOA brought to facility morgue are registered and a morgue visit created in ADT EPR.  Impacting HIS staff only.
Staff at sites with a morgue follow a specific procedure to access morgue, place decreased in morgue and release decreased to funeral homes or RCMP.

Recommendation(s)/Action Required at sites with a morgue:

Clinical staff – Managers, CRNs, Charge Nurses, Nurses and HCAs at sites with morgues – attend formal education by Staff Development.
Directors and Managers – ensure site specific processes have been reviewed and created where indicated. Use Job Aid Template.
HIS staff – attend education as offered by Director of HIS.
EVS and Physical Plant Managers/Directors – review with your teams and ensure they are aware of their role in cleaning and temperature monitoring of morgue.

Timeline:

If you have any questions, please contact:

Submitted by: L Cassan, Regional Lead – Acute Care & Chief Nursing Officer