Loading...
The state of bereavement support in adult intensive care: A systematic review and narrative synthesis
Efstathiou, Nikolaos Walker, Wendy Metcalfe, Alison Vanderspank-Wright, Brandi
Efstathiou, Nikolaos
Walker, Wendy
Metcalfe, Alison
Vanderspank-Wright, Brandi
Editors
Other contributors
Affiliation
Epub Date
Issue Date
2018-12-01
Submitted date
Alternative
Abstract
Purpose Despite advances in medical science, patient death and family bereavement are commonly encountered in adult intensive care units (ICUs). This is the first review to investigate the state of ICU bereavement support globally, and the availability and effectiveness of bereavement support interventions. Methods A systematic review and narrative synthesis. Medline, CINAHL Plus, PsycINFO, Web of Science, EMBASE were searched and inclusion/exclusion criteria were applied. Included studies were appraised using relevant appraisal tools. Results Fourteen papers formed the review; five of which were international surveys reporting variable bereavement practices and levels of support. A lack of training and resources were identified barriers. Nine papers reported the effectiveness of primarily discrete bereavement support interventions including: a personal memento, a handwritten condolence letter, a post-death meeting; storytelling, research participation, use of an ICU diary. One study evaluated a bereavement follow-up program. Generally, all identified interventions were well accepted by bereaved families. Conclusions The reviewed evidence was weak, and findings were contextually bound. As such, it is difficult to make recommendations for the most acceptable and effective bereavement support intervention(s). Bereavement support in ICU needs further exploration and clinicians must be adequately trained and supported for the delivery of evidence-informed, culturally competent care.
Citation
Efstathiou, N. eta al (2019) The state of bereavement support in adult intensive care: A systematic review and narrative synthesis, Journal of Critical Care DOI 10.1016/j.jcrc.2018.11.026
Publisher
Journal
Research Unit
PubMed ID
PubMed Central ID
Embedded videos
Type
Journal article
Language
en
Description
Series/Report no.
ISSN
0883-9441
EISSN
ISBN
ISMN
Gov't Doc #
Sponsors
Rights
Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 United States