Browsing by Subject "Bereavement"

Now showing 1 - 4 of 4
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    Bereavement scheduling policy for emergency medicine residents: A descriptive pilot study
    (Wiley, 2024-07-10) Kelly, Timothy D.; de Venecia, Bryce T.; Pang, Peter S.; Turner, Joseph S.; Reed, Kyra D.; Pettit, Katie E.; Graduate Medical Education, School of Medicine
    Background: The Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education has tasked residency programs to prioritize resident wellness, reduce trainee stress, and prevent burnout. Grief and bereavement can significantly impact residents' wellness during difficult clinical training schedules. There are no best practices on how to support residents during this time. Methods: In a split academic county emergency medicine (EM) residency, this pilot study documents a resident-driven change to scheduling practices for bereavement leave. An advisory group of residents, chief residents, and program directors informally polled peer institutions to develop bereavement leave guidelines. Considerations were made to balance resident wellness, education, and patient care in developing a bereavement scheduling policy. Results: The bereavement policy was adopted in January 2023, aiming to "support the resident during a difficult time and reduce concerns around shift coverage" following the death of a family member without impacting sick call. The number of covered days depended on the relationship of the resident to the deceased. Residents covering bereavement days for their peers were financially compensated. During the first 7 months following implementation, five residents utilized the policy. These residents noted this to be the most positive impact on the residency during the past year. Based on resident feedback, the scope was expanded to include grave medical illness of a family member as an implementation criterion. Conclusions: This article outlines the creation, implementation, and benefits of a bereavement scheduling policy within an EM residency. Describing this approach will provide guidance for other residencies to adopt similar wellness-focused strategies.
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    Parenting through grief: A cross-sectional study of recently bereaved adults with minor children
    (Sage, 2021) Park, Eliza M.; Deal, Allison M.; Yopp, Justin M.; Chien, Stephanie A.; McCabe, Sean; Hirsch, Ariella; Bowers, Savannah M.; Edwards, Teresa; Rosenstein, Donald L.; Biostatistics and Health Data Science, Richard M. Fairbanks School of Public Health
    Background: Grieving adults raising parentally-bereaved minor children experience persistently elevated symptoms of depression and grief. However, the factors associated with their mental health outcomes are not well understood. Aim: To investigate the psychosocial and demographic characteristics associated with grief distress and depressive symptom severity in bereaved adults with minor children. Design: Cross-sectional, web-based survey. Setting/participants: Eight hundred forty-five bereaved adults raising minor (age <18 years) children who had experienced the death of a co-parent. Primary outcomes were grief distress (Prolonged Grief Disorder-13), depressive symptoms (Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System-Depression), and widowed parenting self-efficacy (WPSES). Results: Mean grief scores were 33.5; mean depression scores were 58.3. Among the 690 individuals more than 6 months bereaved, 132 (19.3%) met criteria for prolonged grief disorder. In adjusted models, participants reporting higher grief scores were more recently bereaved, identified as mothers, non-Caucasian, had lower education and income, and had not anticipated their co-parent's death. The statistical modeling results for depression scores were similar to grief scores except that depression was not associated with anticipation of co-parent death. Parents reporting lower WPSES scores had higher grief and depression scores. Retrospective assessments of more intense parenting worries at the time of co-parent death were also associated with higher grief and depression scores. Conclusions: For bereaved adults with minor children, unanticipated co-parent death was linked with higher grief distress but not symptoms of depression. Addressing parenting concerns may represent a common pathway for improving the mental health of parentally-bereaved families.
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    The Use of a Survey to Identify Bereavement Needs of Pediatric Nurses
    (2019) Sondgerath, Emily; Misluk, Eileen
    This study used a concurrent triangulation design with a survey and open-ended interview questions to identify the needs related to the bereavement process for nurses on a pediatric stem cell transplant unit. Additionally, the survey identified the pediatric nurses’ interest in an art therapy bereavement support group. It was hypothesized that the pediatric nurses would identify that bereavement and other psychological effects of nursing negatively impacts their nursing responsibilities and art therapy would be received positively for their bereavement process. Overall, the results of the survey and interviews supported the findings of the literature review regarding the psychological effects of bereavement. The results of the data analysis demonstrated that there are notable psychological effects related to bereavement that affect pediatric nurses’ work and personal lives. The benefits of art therapy to process bereavement were validated through the surveys and interviews and all seven nurse participants stated they would participate in an art therapy bereavement support group.
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    Using the Nurse Coaching Process to Support Bereaved Staff During the COVID-19 Crisis
    (Wolters Kluwer, 2021) Rosa, William E.; Levoy, Kristin; Battista, Vanessa; Dahlin, Constance; Thaxton, Cheryl; Greer, Kelly; School of Nursing
    Nurses are confronting a number of negative mental health consequences owing to high burdens of grief during COVID-19. Despite increased vaccination efforts and lower hospitalization and mortality rates, the long-term effects of mass bereavement are certain to impact nurses for years to come. The nurse coaching process is an evidence-based strategy that nurse leaders can use to assist staff in mitigating negative mental health outcomes associated with bereavement. The End-of-Life Nursing Education Consortium brought together a team of palliative nursing experts early in the pandemic to create resources to support nurses across settings and promote nurse well-being. This article shares a timely resource for health systems and nursing administration that leverages the nurse coaching process to support bereaved staff in a safe and therapeutic environment.