Bereavement in Acute Care Settings

Bereavement in Acute Care Settings

The proposed study will examine the bereavement process as it occurs in acute care settings. The issue of bereavement has received wide study in a variety of settings, leading to a strong framework for understanding bereavement in more specific situations (Stephen et al. 2009). Little study has been focused at the process of bereavement specifically in acute care settings, however, among nurses and other patients, and it is an understanding of the bereavement process in this setting that this study will attempt to achieve.

This issue is especially pressing given the known effects that failures to effectively deal with the bereavement process can lead to. Bonds with those who have passed continue during the bereavement process, and can lead to difficulties when they are not dealt with in an effective manner (Field & Filanosky 2010). The suddenness and violence/severity of symptoms prior to death can also have an effect on how the bereavement process progresses, and the fact that this has not been specifically studied in an acute care environment means there is a lot of room for growth and progress not only in the knowledge in this area, but also in the practical applications of it in dealing with bereavement (Field & Filanosky 2010).

Some studies, largely in the form of literature reviews, have been conducted along this specific line of inquiry, leading to a basic preliminary understanding of the issue and providing the means for a more extensive examination of the bereavement process and the issues attached to it in an acute care setting (Kent & McDowell; Fauri et al. 2000). The specific issues suggested for further study by the current research include the emergence of long-term grief patterns and their detrimental effects, the possibilities of helpful intervention and coping strategies in alleviating any long-term problems associated with an unresolved bereavement process, and preparation for bereavement care during a patient's life as part of a specific strategy for addressing these issues (Kent & McDowell 2004; Fauri et al. 2000). The physical, psychological, and behavioral components and effects of grief, especially patterns of long-held grief, can be severely detrimental to continued development, and nurses can play a key role in the bereavement process for other patients and for family members (Kent & McDowell 2004). The proposed study will more carefully examine the specific issues outlined above, rather than approaching the bereavement process in a more general way.