Bereavement support for families following the death of a child from cancer: Practice characteristics of Australian and New Zealand paediatric oncology units

Abstract

The majority of paediatric oncology units in Australia and New Zealand provide dedicated multidisciplinary bereavement support services. There is variation in services provided, often due to a lack of resources and staffing. Findings indicate a need to further develop bereavement programmes, improve staff education and support, and increase the availability of resources in this area. Future research should explore the needs of bereaved families, as well as the range of services and evaluation methods that could be implemented as the baseline for 'best practice' hospital-based bereavement programmes.

International palliative care research in the context of global development: a systematic mapping review

“…Studies within this theme focus primarily on efforts to map the existence of availability of palliative services internationally 40. Additionally, specific services within broader palliative care are reviewed, including deep sedation,41 general practitioner home visits42 and bereavement support 43…”

Information and support programs for cancer patients’ family and friends: a world survey

“…Deux programmes concernent plus particulièrement les enfants, un programme suédois [12] et un programme australien [4]. Ils impliquent, là encore, la participation des jeunes patients, de leurs parents et de leurs amis.…”

Supporting bereaved parents: a phenomenological study of a telephone intervention programme in a paediatric oncology unit

“…2006), but unrelated to telephone contact. Most Australian and New Zealand paediatric oncology units report offering bereavement programmes, but only two (including this programme) report evaluating them (deCinque et al. 2004).…”