A primary care approach to bereavement

Grief is a universal and recurring human experience, with one survey reporting 72% of responders to have suffered a recent bereavement. 1 Increased healthcare utilisation and mortality following a bereavement is well described, as are its physiological impacts, ranging from neuroendocrine responses to immune modulation. 2 Most people do not require specialist bereavement counselling 3 and specialist palliative care clinicians often have minimal contact with people post-bereavement.Thus, the role of the GP in holistically supporting patients with grief and loss is crucial; however, this may be viewed as time consuming and can instil feelings of powerlessness in clinicians. 4ereavement care delivered via primary care is variable, with GPs often referring to outdated models of grief, and feeling unsure of the appropriate extent of their involvement. 455]6 This article aims to empower the busy GP to provide effective, evidence-based, and compassionate bereavement support.