Evidence · Systematic review or meta-analysis
Effectiveness of Family-Focused End of Life and Bereavement Interventions Across Neonatal, Paediatric, and Adult Intensive Care: An Overview of Reviews.
- Care and rehabilitation
- Communicating with families
- End-of-life care
- Medical
- Nursing
- Professional practice
Summary
An overview of 15 systematic reviews (145 primary studies) examining family-focused end-of-life and bereavement interventions delivered by staff in neonatal, paediatric and adult intensive care. Timely, honest and individualised communication, family presence, shared decision-making and relational nursing support were associated with better family satisfaction and adjustment, while memory making and bereavement follow-up were valued with variable psychological impact. The authors note inconsistent outcome measures and few paediatric-specific reviews, limiting conclusions about effectiveness. Relevant to PICU teams supporting bereaved families and designing bereavement services.
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- Licence:
- Open (Creative Commons)
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