Helping Patients Overcome Grief

Nurses work in environments in which they have to help grieving patients frequently. Such cases include where nurses care for patients diagnosed with terminal illness or who lose their loved ones while under the nurses’ care. Irrespective of the reasons for grief, nurses have to reassure such patients, offer them comfort and encourage them to avoid desperation. To be able to address these cases, nurses need awareness on the resources to which they can turn to offer the patients reassurance.

In my practice, I would consider facilitating the patients to meet their spiritual needs as a principal way to help them deal with grief. This would include being available and offering them a listening ear to enable them express their fears, while providing a peaceful environment that can offer them the confidentiality and the support they need (2011). Although I would consider prioritizing patients at the end-of-life care for care in single rooms, I would take this decision only where it offers benefits for the patient but not when assessment indicates that such separation would be detrimental. For example, Bloomer, Endacott, O’ Connor and Cross (2013) offer cases separation would be detrimental such as when the separation compromises quality of care or when the patient perceives the separation as being left alone. Additionally, where dying patients compete with cases such as those with infectious conditions, having access to such a room may be difficult.

Apart from such personal interventions, I would also offer strong support to the client to access other resources, for example, by accompanying him or her to visit a chaplain as may be needed. As Watson (2008) observes, for patients who have been bereaved while under my care, I would seek ways for them to continue getting support even when discharged back to the community. For example, I would link them with chaplains or social workers who may help to counsel them to accept their loss. Even for those receiving end-of-life care, I would make effort to have a spiritual leader meeting with them, especially when they feel disillusioned about their destiny or what would happen to their families after their death. For example, recounting a case in his study, Bruce (2007) highlights how meeting the patient’s spiritual needs during end-of-life care helps the patient to have comfort and accept his or her condition, and also brings healing to the bereaved family. To help the patient identify these resources, I would strive to learn of the patient’s beliefs by being attentive to his or her concerns and discuss with him or her about the resources available to see which he or she is comfortable with.

References

Bloomer, M. J., Endacott, R., O’Connor, M., & Cross, W. (2013). The ‘dis-ease’ of dying: Challenges in nursing care of the dying in acute hospital setting. A qualitative observational study. Palliative Medicine, 27(8), 757-764. doi:10.1177/0269216313477176

Bruce, C. A. (2007). Helping patients, families, caregivers, and physicians in the grieving process. Journal of the American Osteopathic Association, 107(12 Suppl. 7), ES33-40. Retrieved from http://www.jaoa.org/content/107/suppl_7/ES33.long

Milligan, S. (2011). Addressing the spiritual care needs of people near the end of life. Nursing Standard, 26(4), 47-56.

Watson, L. A. P. (2008). Informing critical care patients of a loved one’s death. Critical Care Nurse, 28(3), 52-64. Retrieved from http://ccn.aacnjournals.org/content/28/3/52.full