Table 3. Responses of nurses by work setting (n = 49).
| Proportion of respondents agreeing with the statement | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Outpatient setting, n/n (%) | Other setting, n/n (%) | p | ||
| 1 | I think it is important to contact grieving families | 5/6 (83) | 19/40 (48) | 0.101 |
| 2 | Contacting grieving families is important to the family | 6/6 (100) | 28/39 (72) | 0.134 |
| 3 | Contacting grieving families is important to the caregiver (staff member) | 5/6 (83) | 15/39 (38) | 0.039 |
| 4 | If I contact a grieving familya | |||
| It gives me closure, as a caregiver | 5/6 (83) | 21/33 (64) | 0.346 | |
| I am acting professionally | 5/6 (83) | 20/30 (67) | 0.418 | |
| It is according to institutional guidelines | 3/5 (60) | 6/22 (27) | 0.161 | |
| It is an opportunity to say good bye to the family | 5/5 (100) | 23/34 (68) | 0.133 | |
| 5 | I think all grieving families should be contacted | 3/6 (50) | 11/39 (28) | 0.283 |
| 6 | If a grieving family is contacted, it should be done by the following staff membera | |||
| Treating physician | 5/6 (83) | 27/33 (82) | 0.929 | |
| Nurse | 5/6 (83) | 23/30 (77) | 0.72 | |
| Social worker | 5/6 (83) | 30/34 (88) | 0.879 | |
| 7 | I prefer not to reveal my feelings in front of a grieving family | 2/6 (33) | 16/39 (41) | 0.72 |
| 8 | I initiate a meeting with grieving family members | 2/6 (33) | 4/38 (11) | 0.13 |
| 9 | If members of a grieving family request to meet me, I agree | 6/6 (100) | 26/36 (72) | 0.139 |
| 10 | I try to view the patient and his family as one unit | 6/6 (100) | 38/41 (93) | 0.493 |
| 11 | I contact all grieving families of patients that I treated | 3/5 (60) | 3/36 (8) | 0.002 |
| 12 | I contact >50% of grieving families of patients that I treated | 3/5 (60) | 4/36 (11) | 0.006 |
| 13 | I contact <50% of grieving families of patients that I treated | 2/6 (33) | 11/32 (34) | 0.961 |
| 14 | I hardly contact grieving families of patients that I treated | 0/5 (0) | 30/34 (88) | <0.0001 |
| 15 | I think that the preferable way to contact a grieving family is bya | |||
| A phone call | 3/4 (75) | 22/30 (73) | 0.943 | |
| A home visit | 0/2 (0) | 16/27 (59) | 0.104 | |
| A letter | 5/6 (83) | 18/29 (62) | 0.318 | |
| 16 | Things preventing me from contacting grieving familiesa | |||
| Emotional overload | 2/5 (40) | 24/29 (83) | 0.037 | |
| Lack of time | 3/6 (50) | 17/30 (57) | 0.764 | |
| I do not think it is important enough | 0/5 (0) | 6/25 (24) | 0.0221 | |
| I do not have the appropriate tools | 1/5 (20) | 18/27 (67) | 0.051 | |
| 17 | The period of time I have cared for a patient affects my decision whether to contact the family after his/her death | 5/6 (83) | 26/39 (67) | 0.412 |
| The longer the relationship, the more important it is for me to contact the family after the patient’s death | 5/6 (83) | 25/38 (66) | 0.391 | |
| 18 | The age of the patient is a factor that influences contacting his/her grieving family | 3/6 (50) | 9/38 (24) | 0.179 |
| It is more important for me to contact grieving families of younger patients | 3/6 (50) | 11/40 (28) | 0.264 | |
| 19 | I would like to acquire more tools for coping and contacting grieving families | 3/6 (50) | 27/40 (68) | 0.432 |
| 20 | For those who write letters: writing letters to grieving families is important to me becausea | |||
| It gives me closure, as a caregiver | 3/4 (75) | 3/8 (38) | 0.221 | |
| It is the right thing to do, professionally | 3/4 (75) | 4/9 (44) | 0.308 | |
| It is according to institutional guidelines | 2/3 (67) | 6/7 (86) | 0.098 | |
| It is an opportunity to say good bye to the family | 3/4 (75) | 4/8 (50) | 0.408 | |
aRespondents were instructed to respond to all sub-statements.