The Current Status of Bereavement Care in Chinese Emergency Departments: A Multicenter Cross-Sectional Study

Abstract

Understanding the current status and challenges of bereavement care will help facilitate the development of bereavement care in the emergency department. However, little is known about the status of bereavement care in Chinese emergency departments and nurses' perceptions of bereavement care. We used a self-made questionnaire to survey 124 head nurses and 870 emergency nurses in 21 hospitals in Jiangsu Province in September 2023. Among 124 emergency departments, 78 (62.90%) emergency departments provided bereavement care strategies, and the most frequent strategy was a waiting room, relevant information on funeral arrangements and the establishment of a relatively secluded environment conducive to the solace of the patient’s family, or the provision of a dedicated farewell chamber. Emergency nurses believed that bereavement care is important but difficult to implement, with support resources, environment and human resources being the main challenges. In the future, further attention should be paid to the development of bereavement care in the emergency department, and the implementation of bereavement care should be supported in terms of policies, funds, resources and personnel.