Bereavement Follow-Up After the Death of a Child as a Standard of Care in Pediatric Oncology

Abstract

After a child's death to cancer, families commonly want continued connection with the healthcare team that cared for their child, yet bereavement follow-up is often sporadic. A comprehensive literature search found that many bereaved parents experience poor psychological outcomes during bereavement and that parents want follow-up and benefit from continued connection with their child's healthcare providers. Evidence suggests that the standard of care should consist of at least one meaningful contact between the healthcare team and bereaved parents to identify those at risk for negative psychosocial sequelae and to provide resources for bereavement support.

Keywords: bereaved parents; bereavement; cancer; death of a child; palliative care; pediatric oncology.