Developing a Bereavement Services Component for an Urban Teaching Hospital's New Palliative Care Program: A Four-Target Survey Approach

As more patients die in the hospital under the supervision of palliative care teams, there is a growing interest in hospital-based bereavement services. As part of the palliative care program development at our 463-bed community-based teaching hospital, we conducted a survey of top national palliative care programs, local hospice programs, local funeral homes, and the original staff of the hospital's prior program. The significance of certain data stood out in terms of the planning of delivery of services at our hospital. Three issues were of primary concern to the study team: providing families with services beyond the "minimal" of a single card or telephone call; the position of a bereavement coordinator would be necessary to manage or oversee the delivery of these services; and community volunteer aid was needed to ensure the program's financial viability.