Exploring the experience of returning to work after personal bereavement
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Updated: Jan 3, 2026

Setup and Execution of the Rapid Cycle Deliberate Practice Death Notification Curriculum
Published on: August 5, 2020
Elizabeth Reed, Melanie Waghorn, Amanda Gregory
1Consultant in Palliative Medicine, Princess Alice Hospice, West End Lane, Esher, Surrey, KT10 8NA, UK.
Background:
The ability of nurses with experience of personal bereavement to work with patients can have immediate and/or long-term repercussions on their personal and professional life.
Aims:
To explore the experience of a personal bereavement, through the death of a significant relative or friend, for nurses working in palliative care.
Methods:
A multicentre qualitative study interviewed nurses working in palliative care who experienced a significant bereavement within the last 24 months.
Findings:
Key themes: circumstances surrounding bereavement; conflict between the personal and professional; returning to work; grief as a continuum. Advice to bereaved nurses was for them to be open and honest and that work can be grounding; that they should take time off; that grief does not stop on returning to work; and that they should do what feels right for them.
Conclusions:
Bereaved palliative care nurses strive to maintain their roles in the face of bereavement. Hospices have a significant part to play in offering ongoing support and flexibility.
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