Mourning: a concern for medical-surgical nurses.

Medical-surgical nurses working in a variety of settings with dying patients and their families play an important role in facilitating grieving. They can do much to help dying patients have a more peaceful death by listening to them. They can facilitate healing among families prior to death. They can help surviving family members begin a more healthy pattern of mourning. The tasks of mourning offer a useful guide for responding to the needs of the bereaved from a variety of cultural perspectives. Nurses can gain a greater sense of satisfaction in working with dying patients and grieving survivors by incorporating this framework into their practice.