Better bereavement and palliative care priorities are needed internationally

Better bereavement and palliative care priorities are needed internationally 
ONS Voice - Oncology Nursing Society; by Elisa Becze, BA, ELS; 6/7/24 
Palliative and bereavement care should be a health policy priority, an international team of public health scientists reported in Lancet Public Health. They called for interprofessional health workers, organizations, and systems to “shift bereavement care from an afterthought to a public health priority.” The authors cited evidence that bereaved individuals are at increased risk for numerous adverse outcomes, including prolonged grief disorder, mood and anxiety disorders, existential distress, decreased work productivity, adverse health behaviors, cancer, heart disease, suicide, and death. They added that the burden is particularly high for vulnerable groups, including those living in communities with limited resources. Healthcare professionals’ barriers to providing bereavement care are similar to those for palliative care, they said, including:

• Limited training
• Lack of time
• Insufficient organizational and community resources