Expanding nursing perspectives on loss and grieving
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Updated: Jul 9, 2026

Using Visual and Narrative Methods to Achieve Fair Process in Clinical Care
Published on: February 16, 2011
1School of Nursing, York University, Toronto, Ontario, Canada. bpilking@yorku.ca
Abstract:
This column seeks to contribute to the understanding of the concept of grieving a loss through capturing the indivisible, unpredictable, ever-changing nature of this universal human experience. Through the process of concept inventing the extant theoretical knowledge concerning grief and loss, classical literature, and the humanbecoming theory and research literature were considered, revealing the idea that grieving a loss is persistent but the meaning of the experience continually changes. Knowledge of the persistent, ever-changing nature of grieving a loss is important for nurses who use humanbecoming theory as a guide while abiding with those who grieve a loss.
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