Risk factors affecting use of bereavement counseling

What is it about?

A retrospective study of the records of 3,704 hospice patients who died between 2004 and 2014 found caregivers attached to hospice patients with the diagnosis of brain cancer, lung cancer, and renal failure utilized grief counseling at higher than average rates. There was also an inverted relationship between hospice patient length of stay and the duration of counseling in bereavement.

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Why is it important?

This study replicated results from a previous study that found higher than average patterns of bereavement service use among caregivers attached to patients with the disease types of brain cancer, lung cancer, and renal failure. The finding that shorter lengths of stay in hospice are associated with longer durations of counseling in bereavement is important in establishing an optimal hospice length of stay.