Mather Mark A, Good Phillip D, Cavenagh John D, Ravenscroft Peter J
Department of Palliative Care, Calvary Mater Newcastle, Newcastle, NSW, Australia.
Med J Aust. 2008 Feb 18;188(4):228-30. doi: 10.5694/j.1326-5377.2008.tb01590.x.
To determine the prevalence, staffing, methods, timing and allocation of bereavement programs in Australian palliative care services.
Questionnaire-based postal survey.
The questionnaire was mailed in January 2007 to all 324 palliative care centres identified from the Australian Palliative care national directory 2004.
236 of the 324 centres responded (73%), and 95% of these undertook bereavement follow-up, with similar prevalence in metropolitan and regional areas. Staff from a range of disciplines were involved in coordinating and delivering these services, with nurses taking on these roles in most regional centres. Common types of bereavement follow-up included individual sessions and visits, telephone contact, letters, anniversary cards and memorial services. Most centres (74%) approached the bereaved within 2 weeks of the death, and 83% of centres offered bereavement support to families or "significant others" of all patients who died under their care. Some form of risk assessment for complicated grief was performed by 69% of participating centres.
Bereavement care is an integral part of Australian palliative care services. Given the multidisciplinary staffing demonstrated, it is important that those coordinating and delivering these programs are adequately trained and supported. There is a need for further research to guide the development of bereavement support practice.
确定澳大利亚姑息治疗服务中哀伤辅导项目的普及率、人员配备、方法、时机及资源分配情况。
基于问卷调查的邮寄调查。
问卷于2007年1月邮寄给从《2004年澳大利亚姑息治疗全国名录》中确定的所有324家姑息治疗中心。
324家中心中有236家做出回应（73%），其中95%开展了哀伤后续跟进服务，在大城市和地区的普及率相似。来自一系列学科的工作人员参与协调和提供这些服务，在大多数地区中心，护士承担这些职责。常见的哀伤后续跟进类型包括个别辅导与探访、电话联系、信件、周年纪念卡和追悼会。大多数中心（74%）在患者死亡后2周内联系丧亲者，83%的中心为在其照护下死亡的所有患者的家属或“重要他人”提供哀伤支持。69%的参与中心对复杂性哀伤进行了某种形式的风险评估。
哀伤护理是澳大利亚姑息治疗服务的一个组成部分。鉴于已表明的多学科人员配备情况，协调和开展这些项目的人员接受充分培训并获得支持很重要。需要进一步开展研究以指导哀伤支持实践的发展。
