A decision model for community nurses providing bereavement care.

Area of Science:

• Nursing
• Palliative Care
• Grief and Bereavement Studies

Background:

• Community nurses are crucial in supporting informal carers after a palliative care client's death.
• The decision-making processes of these nurses in bereavement care are not well understood.
• This study addresses the knowledge gap regarding Australian community nurses' roles in bereavement support.

Purpose of the Study:

• To examine the decision-making role of community nurses providing bereavement care in Sydney, Australia.
• To explore the factors influencing community nurses' clinical decisions during home visits to bereaved informal carers.
• To develop a model illustrating the complexities of community nursing in bereavement care.

Main Methods:

• Analysis of existing data from semi-structured interviews with 10 community nurses.
• Application of a grounded theory approach to understand the decision-making process.
• Focus on community nurses conducting follow-up bereavement care home visits.

Main Results:

• A decision model was generated, highlighting interactions between relationships, bereavement circumstances, psychosocial factors, nursing team dynamics, workload, and available support.
• Community nursing in bereavement care is complex, with discretionary decisions influenced by various variables affecting family grief.
• The study identified key elements of the home visit central to effective bereavement care.

Conclusions:

• The developed decision model can guide community nurses in supporting informal carers and enhance reflective practice.
• Understanding these complex decision-making processes is essential for professional accountability and competence in bereavement care.
• This research provides insights into optimizing community nursing interventions for bereaved families.