Using the Delphi technique to achieve consensus on bereavement care in palliative care in Europe: An EAPC White Paper.

Background: The WHO definition of palliative care includes bereavement support as integral to palliative care, yet a previous survey of bereavement support in palliative care in Europe has shown a range of service responses to loss. A rigorous approach to agreeing and implementing a palliative care bereavement framework was required.

Aim: The aim of this study was to develop consensus on best-practice recommendations for bereavement care principles, structures, processes and delivery based on current practice and evidence.

A call to action: an IWG charter for a public health approach to dying, death, and loss.

The current systems of care for dying persons, the people caring for them, and the bereaved operate in ways that frequently lack sufficient sensitivity to their needs. We describe a new model for dying, death, and loss that adopts a public health approach. Specifically, we describe a deliberative process that resulted in a charter for a public health approach to dying, death, and loss.

Helpful aspects of bereavement support for adults following an expected death: volunteers' and bereaved people's perspectives.

Helpful and unhelpful aspects of bereavement support were investigated from the perspectives of 24 bereaved adults and their volunteer bereavement support workers. Most commonly reported themes were the provision of hope and reassurance, and the opportunity for continued sharing and support. Significantly more clients than volunteers reported provision of information, and talking to someone outside their social network as helpful, and both groups scored higher on helpfulness ratings than comparative groups of psychotherapists and clients.

Adult bereavement in five English hospices: types of support.

Method: In-depth organisational case studies of five English hospices.

Analysis: Thematic analysis of qualitative interviews and focus groups and scrutiny of documentary material provided by the hospice bereavement services.

Findings: All of the hospices ran events where bereaved people met with other bereaved people who had been in contact with the hospice.

Some issues in the provision of adult bereavement support by UK hospices.

This paper considers some issues in the provision of adult bereavement support in UK hospices. The paper is based on the findings of a multi-method study conducted in two phases over 30 months (2003-2005) to examine the nature and quality of adult bereavement support in UK hospices from the perspectives of bereaved people and professional and volunteer bereavement workers [Field, Reid, Payne, & Relf (2005). Adult Bereavement Support in Five Hospices in England.

Adult bereavement in five English hospices: participants, organisations and pre-bereavement support.

Method: in-depth organisational case studies of five English hospice bereavement services.

Analysis: thematic analysis of qualitative interviews and focus groups and scrutiny of documentary material provided by the hospice bereavement services.

Findings: despite the differences in philosophies and activities among the hospices a common pattern of support were apparent.

Survey of UK hospice and specialist palliative care adult bereavement services.

Method: Postal survey of UK hospices and specialist palliative care services providing adult bereavement support.

Analysis: Descriptive statistics and content analysis of free text replies.

Results: Three hundred services were identified, with 248 valid responses (83%).