Perception of Doctors and Nurses on the Care and Bereavement Support for Relatives of Terminally Ill Patients in an Acute Setting

Objective: To study the perception of doctors and nurses on the care and bereavement support for relatives of critically ill and dying patients in an acute medical care setting. Participants and Methods: A self-administered questionnaire survey was completed by 169 nurses and 20 doctors at the Department of Medicine and Geriatrics, Caritas Medical Centre, Hong Kong. Results: When handling the reactions of bereaved relatives, the reported confidence of respondents did not agree with their ability to take the initiative. Nurses who perceived themselves as having no confidence would proceed to manage relatives’ emotions. Familiarity with the procedures related to the death of a patient was not associated with staff initiative. Non-acceptance by relatives of a patient’s death and strong emotions were reported to be most difficult factors to manage. The needs of the staff were identified for improvement of care. Conclusion: When encountering the death of a patient, one-third of staff would not be confident and one-third would not take the initiative when managing relatives’ emotions. Enhancement of knowledge and skills for doctors and nurses for providing support for bereaved relatives in an acute medical setting is indicated.