A study to determine if and how bereavement support programs provided by Irish and Canadian hospices are evaluated.

A study of the bereavement programs provided by hospices in Ireland and the Canadian province of Alberta was done to determine if and how these are evaluated for efficacy. All but one hospice offered multiple different bereavement programs, with routine in-house evaluations of all programs performed. In all cases, staff and client unsolicited and solicited comments made during and at the end of each program provided data for continuing program refinement. Most hospices also routinely employed a self-devised questionnaire to gain specific sought information to retain or change programs. Other information, including news about program developments elsewhere, was also actively sought for program adoption or for the improvement of existing programs. With most bereavement programs having been in place for many years, participants were confident their programs are needed, safe, and effective. Their continuing quest for high-quality programming, however, meant they were active in monitoring these programs and in seeking developments in this field.