Authors

Jonathan Martínez Blanco

Position

Enfermero. Hospital Universitario Puerta del Hierro. Majadahonda (Madrid)

Contact address

Jonathan Martínez Blanco. Avda. del Ensanche, 106-esc. 2, 6º D. 28051 Madrid.

Contact email: emebejota@gmail.com

Abstract

Objective: to understand the role of Nursing professionals in bereavement support for adult palliative patients and their relatives.
Method: a narrative review of literature was conducted through bibliographic search on the Health Science databases Pubmed and Cuiden, between the years 2006 and 2016. Additionally, there were searches in websites by associations relevant in the area of palliative care.
Results: eleven (11) articles were selected. The following categories were the result of their analysis: palliative care bases, factors with influence on bereavement in patients on palliative care and their family, and the nursing role in bereavement support for palliative care.
Conclusions: even though Nursing Degrees have incorporated new contents regarding palliative care, there is still no formal training to cover the complexity involved by said care. This review demonstrated that there is lack of training for bereavement care by nurses, in terms of emotional skills and communication targeted to meet the spiritual needs of patients and relatives. The Spanish Nursing Association for Palliative Care states the need for the formal implementation of specific training for nurses, suggesting three levels of training: a basic level corresponding to the current areas of general nurse training, an intermediate level, and an advanced level.

Keywords:

palliative care; Bereavement; emotional skills; communication; spiritual needs

Versión en Español

Título:

Atención al duelo en el paciente adulto con cuidados paliativos y su familia