Professional Bereavement in Nursing: An Evolutionary Concept Analysis.

AIMS

Clarify and define the concept of professional bereavement in nursing.

DESIGN

Rodgers' evolutionary method was used to identify the attributes, antecedents, and consequences of professional bereavement in nursing.

DATA SOURCES

Literature from inception to May 20, 2024, was searched from PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, CINAHL, PsycINFO, Scopus, Medline, EBSCO host, Proquest, Ovid, and Cochrane.

REPORTING METHODS

The preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta-analyses (PRISMA) guidelines were adopted.

RESULTS

The 32 articles included in the study provided data on the concept of professional bereavement in nursing. We propose the concept of professional bereavement in nursing as follows: Professional bereavement in nursing is the experience of a patient or colleague's death in the workplace, influenced by contextual, internal, and external factors. Nurses perceive personal and professional losses, exhibit a multidimensional liminal state, and experience personal impacts (life and worldview) and professional impacts (health-related productivity and professional ability).

CONCLUSIONS

We developed a preliminary conceptual model of professional bereavement in nursing based on its attributes, antecedents, and consequences. This conceptual model promotes the development of theories related to professional bereavement.

IMPACT

This is the first article to clarify and define professional bereavement in nursing. We have clarified the antecedents, attributes, and consequences of professional bereavement, which provides a conceptual framework for understanding professional bereavement. The conceptual framework guides the content of interventions and suggests future professional bereavement interventions from a dialectical perspective.

PATIENT OR PUBLIC CONTRIBUTION

Not applicable.