Bereavement care and research in the intensive care unit: Opportunities and challenges

Kentish‐Barnes, Nancy

doi:10.1111/nicc.12457

Cited by 5 publications

(5 citation statements)

References 25 publications

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“…The need to talk is not unique to critical care: Milberg et al .’s 11 study in palliative care identified families need to talk over and over, to put feelings into words, be acknowledged and have consolation in their loneliness. Kentish-Barnes 34▪ summarises this broader experience of bereavement follow-up as a feeling of support, continuity and non-abandonment.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Nevertheless, telephone call research suggests that families need support, need to talk, tell their story and give meaning to their experience 22 , 27 , 34▪ . This is supported by research into storytelling.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Kentish-Barnes 34▪ acknowledges the conflicting results of bereavement follow-up studies, reflecting that grief symptoms were not the best outcome measure for their RCT. They suggested looking at the broader experiences of families, including the feeling of support, non-abandonment and continuity, with a recognised need to use both qualitative and quantitative research methods 34▪ , 38 .…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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An integrative literature review examining the key elements of bereavement follow-up interventions in critical care

Labram

Johnston

McGuire

2023

Current Opinion in Supportive &Amp; Palliative Care

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Purpose of review The aim of this review is to examine bereavement follow-up intervention studies in critical care, with the purpose of integrating results on the timing, content, aims and outcomes of interventions. The impact of a death in critical care is well documented, and bereavement follow-up is recognised as an important topic, but there is limited research with little consensus on the content and structure of interventions. Recent findings A total of 18 papers were selected; 11 are intervention studies, with only one randomised control trial. Six papers were from national surveys and are not the focus of this review. Bereavement follow-up mainly consisted of information giving, condolence interventions, telephone calls and meetings with families. The timing, content, aims and outcomes depended on the intervention and were influenced by the design of the study. Summary Overall, bereavement follow-up is acceptable for relatives but outcomes are mixed. Calls for more research are valid, but how do we utilise the current research to better inform the critical care community? Researchers suggest that bereavement follow-up interventions need to be designed with specific aims and outcomes, in collaboration with bereaved families that are appropriate to the intervention.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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An integrative literature review examining the key elements of bereavement follow-up interventions in critical care

Labram

Johnston

McGuire

2023

Current Opinion in Supportive &Amp; Palliative Care

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“…Recruitment occurred at a single centre in Australia. After considering alternatives and the sensitive environment in the ICU (Kentish-Barnes, 2019a ), DSNCs (Potter et al, 2021 ; Tocher et al, 2019 ) were chosen to provide families with Participant Information Forms (PIFs) after finalizing discussions related to OD. PIFs described the study and explained that families could initiate or decline participation early or wait to be contacted after three months.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

The bereavement experiences of families of potential organ donors: a qualitative longitudinal case study illuminating opportunities for family care

Dicks

Northam

Haren

et al. 2022

International Journal of Qualitative Studies on Health and Well

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Objectives To illuminate opportunities for care in the context of deceased organ donation by exploring pre-existing family and healthcare professional characteristics, in-hospital experiences, and ongoing adjustment through the lenses of grief theory, systems theory, meaning-making, narrative, and organ donation literature. Method Qualitative longitudinal case studies explored individual and family change in five Australian families who had consented to Donation after Circulatory Determination of Death at a single centre. Participants attended semi-structured interviews at four, eight, and twelve months after the death. Findings Family values, pre-existing relationships, and in-hospital experiences influenced first responses to their changed lives, understanding of the patient’s death, and ongoing family adjustment. Novel behaviour that was conguent with family values was required at the hospital, especially if the patient had previously played a key role in family decision-making. This behaviour and emerging interactional patterns were drawn into family life over the first year of their bereavement. Recommendations Training that includes lenses introduced in this study will enable healthcare professionals to confidently respond to individual and family psychosocial needs. Conclusion The lenses of grief theory and systems thinking highlight opportunities for care tailored to the unique in-hospital context and needs that emerge in the months that follow.

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“…The guest editorial by Nancy Kentish‐Barnes presents a thought‐provoking review of bereavement care in the intensive care unit (ICU) underpinned by research that has helped to develop our understanding of family members' experiences of dying and death. What becomes apparent is the remarkable accumulation of bereavement research by Kentish‐Barnes and colleagues to support and inspire evidence‐based practice in the ICU.…”

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confidence: 99%

What's in this Special Issue

Trapani

Walker

2019

Nursing in Critical Care

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In this special issue of Nursing in Critical Care, we place the spotlight on bereavement care in adult, paediatric and neonatal intensive care.It has been our privilege to work with authors whose scholarly contributions to this edition echo and support our quest to raise the profile and importance of this topic. Caring for the critically ill is often defined by advanced knowledge, technical expertise, and physical life support. Yet, despite intensive medical management, the critical care team commonly experience and provide patient and family end of life care. In this collection of papers, various aspects of dying, death, grief and bereavement are critically examined through primary research and case study analyses, both within and beyond the environment of intensive care.The guest editorial by Nancy Kentish-Barnes 1 presents a thought-provoking review of bereavement care in the intensive care unit (ICU) underpinned by research that has helped to develop our understanding of family members' experiences of dying and death.What becomes apparent is the remarkable accumulation of bereavement research by Kentish-Barnes and colleagues to support and inspire evidence-based practice in the ICU. The editorial draws attention to a multiplicity of opportunities and challenges and expands on some of the strengths and weaknesses of current practice and research. Relevant data from primary research portrays methodological diversity when studying the phenomenon of grief and bereavement, and the value of mixed-methods data to inform the art and science of bereavement practice. Kentish-Barnes also informs us of contrasting results; both positive and adverse impacts 186 EDITORIAL bereavement. However, they conclude by recommending further research to explore the psychological impact of cDCD on the grieving process. The second case study paper builds on the theme of transferring critically ill patients home to die. In this scenario, it was a 70-year old critically ill patient, previously diagnosed with metastatic cancer, who wanted to die at home, and the adult critical care team's efforts to fulfil his wish. White 19 shares insights about her and her colleagues' experience in implementing what remains a considerably rare event for most critical care nurses, highlighting the need for careful planning, coordination, interprofessional teamwork, assertiveness, reflection and honest communication with the patient and their family members throughout all stages of the process. Furthermore, the paper uses the concept of safe uncertainty 20,21 to remind critical care practitioners that they need to go "beyond conventional treatment to provide highquality care", 19 (p.236) Indeed, the very challenging nature of transferring critically and terminally ill patients home to die is a quintessential example of patient advocacy and dignity in care, in this case by safeguarding the patient's preferred place of death. Whilst depicting the elements of this complex intervention, this case study clearly illustrates how the values of compassion, commitm...

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Bereavement care and research in the intensive care unit: Opportunities and challenges

Cited by 5 publications

References 25 publications

An integrative literature review examining the key elements of bereavement follow-up interventions in critical care

An integrative literature review examining the key elements of bereavement follow-up interventions in critical care

The bereavement experiences of families of potential organ donors: a qualitative longitudinal case study illuminating opportunities for family care

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