Atención al duelo en los servicios españoles de cuidados paliativos: estudio comparativo con otros países europeos

Abstract

Objetive: To describe and compare the type and characteristics of bereavement care in Europe and Spain. As well as, update and identify advances in Spain to improve care for grief. Method: Observational, descriptive, prospective and comparative study. Made from data from the EAPC bereavement group relating to Spain, collected through a questionnaire consisting of 54 questions in 6 sections: background; support; personal; access, levels of care; community aspects; resources and care model. Distributed by online mail through the EAPC to 56 national PC associations. Comparisons between Europe and Spain were made using Pearson's χ2 test. Results: Bereavement care is offered in 83 % of the 314 responding services in Europe and in 73 % of 56 services in Spain, with similar data to previous Spanish studies. Most services correspond to hospital units. The type of support or specialized intervention depends on the level of care in both groups. In Europe, 27 % have National Grief Guides in their country, in Spain 61 % of the services, which facilitates action. “Formal risk instruments” are used by only a quarter of the services. Conclusions: This study presents an advance and a future challenge in bereavement care in Europe and Spain. Data has shown that bereavement care is not part of all services. The number of responses to the questionnaires has not increased nor have the services in Spain increased. Both in Europe and in Spain, it is necessary to continue promoting, formalizing and increasing services with attention to grief, as an essential part of palliative care services.