ORIGINAL ARTICLE

Emergency department follow-up of bereaved relatives: an audit of one particular service

R J Parris¹, J Schlosenberg¹, C Stanley², S Maurice² and S F J Clarke³

¹ Emergency Department, Royal Bolton Hospital, Bolton NHS Trust, Bolton, UK
² Emergency Department, South Manchester University Hospital, Wythenshawe, UK
³ Emergency Department, St. Thomas’ Hospital, London, UK

Correspondence to:
Correspondence to:
Simon F J Clarke
St Thomas’ Hospital, Lambeth Palace Road, London SE1, UK; sfjclarke{at}doctors.org.uk

Background: Although much has been written about the treatment of bereaved relatives in emergency departments, very little has been published about their follow-up after they have left the department.

Methods: One model of follow-up is described, in which relatives are invited to a meeting in the department 4–6 weeks after their loss. In this model, it is emphasised that the follow-up is not a counselling session but an opportunity to ask questions, and an audit of the service is presented.

Results and conclusion: It is suggested that the provision of information is theoretically beneficial to the bereavement process.

Abbreviations: ED, emergency department; GP, general practitioner

Keywords: Emergency department; bereavement; follow-up service

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