The risk assessment of bereavement in a palliative care setting.

An effective bereavement risk assessment document used in a palliative care setting was identified which could ensure bereavement support for those in need, be it a family or carer group. The nursing team were used as assessors with a system to indicate carers' and relatives' immediate need following the death of a patient. The aim of this bereavement risk assessment system was to lessen the possible long-term effects of unresolved grief for family and carers of patients who died within a hospice setting. The assessment document is a useful education tool for nurses, allied support professionals and bereavement support volunteers in their work with grief and loss.