What functions do palliative care bereavement services deliver? A scoping review

Following someone’s death, bereaved people may struggle with their grief. When a patient receives palliative care, bereavement support for the patient’s family is an expected function of specialist palliative care services. To date, detailed descriptions of the purpose, function and provision of support from bereavement services are limited. This study examined how specialist palliative bereavement services self-defined their functions and described any support and interventions they offer. The aim was to synthesise how services satisfied their responsibilities for continuity of support to the family following a patient dying. A scoping review was undertaken to examine the literature on bereavement support within palliative care services to codify how they initiated post-death contact, the purpose of contact and what interventions were offered. Seven databases were interrogated in 2020 using search terms developed by CareSearch (www.caresearch.com.au) with refinement. Items needed to be in English and detail the aims and functions of service-initiated contacts and support. Information was thematically analysed using an inductive approach. Bereavement contact from palliative care services had an overall aim of offering guidance through the provision of information, access to a risk assessment and counselling. The analysis demonstrated the provision of bereavement information, describing support pathways and delivery of accessible grief interventions provided a ‘safety net’. Other themes revealed services often monitored adjustment through scheduled reviews, were aware of their limitations and completed referrals to other services as needed. This study adds to our understanding of palliative care bereavement services and provides valuable information about their intended functions. To improve understanding of bereavement functions, services need to clearly define their primary purpose and how this meets the needs of bereaved people and national standards. Ideally, future research would interview bereavement staff directly to ensure accurate descriptions of service aims and model.