Role of the physician in bereavement.

The purpose of this article is to set forth a clear and concise guide for physicians to use in their treatment of the bereaved. The physician's attitudes toward death and dying, as well as normal and abnormal grief reactions, are reviewed. The role of the physician prior to the time of death, at the time of death, and after the death are discussed. Models of hospital-based programs that can be of significant help to physicians in treating the bereaved are presented also.