STORYTELLING TO SUPPORT NURSES EXPERIENCING WORK-RELATED BEREAVEMENT
Purpose: Describe storytelling as a method to support nurses who are experiencing work-related bereavement following the death of a patient.
Background: The death of a patient is a universal experience for nurses. An absence of support for nurses experiencing work-related bereavement places them at considerable risk for complicated grief. Complicated grief effectually increases stressors, promotes maladaptive coping and can lead to resignation from the profession. Storytelling has been empirically demonstrated to provide significant support to nurses experiencing work-related bereavement.
Brief Description of Approach to Best Practice: Review of the literature in PubMed was conducted using the keywords: nurses, death, patient death, attitudes, nurses’ response, storytelling and dying. The primary investigator’s experience of volunteering in a bereavement support group brought awareness of a gap in support for nurses experiencing work-related bereavement that resulted in this best practice model. Casual dialogues occurred with nurses regarding current support available to them and the nurses’ preferred methods of grief support. Input was obtained from experts in grief work who use storytelling as a preferred mode for support.
Outcomes: The project resulted in a best practice model to support nurses experiencing work-related bereavement, utilizing storytelling as the main method of support. The model stems from empirical findings in the literature, and utilizes peer-supported storytelling in a group setting as a primary preventative measure. A handout provided to each nurse at the beginning of the story-telling sessions encourages nurses to supplant their storytelling through journal writing and poetry.
Conclusions: The proposed best practice model to support nurses experiencing work-related bereavement through storytelling is expected to reduce possible stressors, prevent maladaptive coping, and promote nurse retention in hospitals. Storytelling is an evidence- based method of supporting nurses in their work-related bereavement. As a support measure, storytelling works to prevent complicated grief thereby producing the best possible outcomes for nurses.