Emergency Department Grief Support: A Multidisciplinary Intervention to Provide Bereavement Support After Death in...

The nature of death in the emergency department (ED) may put survivors at higher risk for complicated bereavement. Access to bereavement care could mitigate this, but many EDs do not include bereavement follow-up as part of their routine practice.

We describe the implementation at our institution of ED Grief Support, a program developed to extend care to the bereaved through in-person, telephone, and e-mail follow-up for 1 year after the death of a loved one.

Bereavement follow-up was preferentially extended to survivors of patients <45 years of age who were chosen because of the higher likelihood of unexpected death in this age group. Detailed records of each case were collected prospectively using online data management software and outcomes were recorded. Successful strategies to navigate communication and resource referrals are discussed.

We enrolled 192 patients during our 2-year period of observation. The majority died from trauma and parents were the most common next-of-kin to be contacted. Commonly requested services included: clarification of the circumstances of death, the interpretation of autopsy reports, referral to community bereavement resources, and family meetings. Challenges included supporting the emotional well-being of staff and the resource-intensive nature of the follow-up. Staff members who worked with ED Grief Support find it meaningful and note a positive influence on their well-being as providers.

Longitudinal bereavement follow-up from the ED is feasible and had a perceived positive impact on the bereaved as well as ED staff.