Bereavement Care Needs and Their Associated Factors among Cancer-bereaved Families Who Have Experienced End-of-life Care in General Hospital Wards: An Online Survey
- VernacularTitle:一般病棟で看取りを経験したがん遺族の遺族ケアに対するニーズとその関連要因：インターネット調査
- Author:
Kiriko FUKUSHIMA
1
;
Yasutaka KIMURA
2
Author Information
- Keywords: bereavement care; bereaved families; grief; general wards; online survey
- From:Palliative Care Research 2025;20(3):187-196
- CountryJapan
- Language:Japanese
- Abstract: Purpose: To identify the bereavement care needs from medical professionals and the associated factors among cancer-bereaved family members who have experienced end-of-life care in general hospital wards. Methods: An online survey was conducted to assess the bereavement care needs among cancer-bereaved family members who have experienced end-of-life care in general hospital wards. Results: Four factors were found to be significantly associated with the need for bereavement care: “supporting family members to spend meaningful time together at the end of life” (odds ratio [OR]=3.17), “providing emotional support after bereavement, such as listening to the family’s story” (OR=4.70), “providing knowledge and information, including pamphlets to help people recover from grief” (OR=2.89), and “making a follow-up call after the patient’s death to make contact” (OR=2.84). Conclusion: Cancer-bereaved families in general wards need a continuum of care that enables meaningful end-of-life interactions and offers proactive emotional and informational follow-up. Integrating these elements into ward practice may reduce unmet needs and promote adaptive grieving.
