Bereavement care in general practice: a cluster-randomized clinical trial

Area of Science:

• Grief and Bereavement Care
• Primary Care Research
• Mental Health Interventions

Background:

• Complicated grief (CG) is a significant issue following the loss of a loved one.
• General practitioners (GPs) recognize the importance of bereavement care but lack adequate training.
• Improved GP skills in identifying and managing CG may reduce adverse health outcomes.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the effectiveness of a bereavement management program implemented in general practice.
• To assess the program's impact on GPs' ability to identify CG and provide clinical care.
• To determine if the intervention reduces adverse health outcomes in bereaved relatives.

Main Methods:

• A cluster-randomized controlled trial involving GPs and bereaved relatives of cancer patients in Denmark.
• Intervention group received a bereavement management program; control group received usual care.
• Primary outcomes included validated grief and depression scores, GP clinical assessment, and healthcare contacts.

Main Results:

• The intervention group showed greater improvements in Inventory of Complicated Grief-Revised (ICG-R) scores.
• Patients in the intervention group were more likely to receive supportive care or mental health referrals.
• GPs' ability to identify CG at 13 months was not significantly improved compared to the control group.

Conclusions:

• The bereavement management program showed near statistically significant positive indications compared to usual care.
• Results suggest a need to enhance GPs' clinical skills in identifying complicated grief.
• Further research and training are essential for effective bereavement care in primary practice.