Exploring geriatric registrars experience of end-of-life care, bereavement and grief.

Introduction 

Loss and bereavement are experienced disproportionately by older adults. Bereavement can be a traumatic and life changing event that has a significant impact on health and social support. (Croxall, 2016) Geriatricians will regularly care for grieving patients and relatives; thus, it is essential to understand this process and be able to signpost to support. (Meichsner, 2020) Although the geriatric curriculum includes end-of-life care, grief and bereavement are not included. (JRCPTB, 2024) This contrasts with the palliative care curriculum, which includes psychosocial care of patients and those close to them. Palliative care trainees are expected to be aware of bereavement theories and to support and empower grieving patients and relatives. Their curriculum specifically includes signposting grieving people to further support and recognising abnormal grief reactions. (JRCPTB, GMC-UK, 2024) Psychosocial issues are an important aspect of end-of-life care and geriatricians must feel confident understanding bereavement and grief to provide holistic person-centred care. This survey aims to explore geriatric registrars experience of end-of-life care, bereavement and grief to identify if further training may be required. 

Method 

An anonymous online survey was sent to geriatric registrars via Whatsapp and X/Twitter. 

Results 

Geriatric registrars from across the UK completed the survey. Although most registrars feel confident managing end-of-life and discussing advance care planning, the majority felt less confident supporting and empowering individuals facing loss and/or grieving. As a group they are not aware of the range of services and social support available to support the bereaved and the role of community support. Most registrars felt additional training on bereavement and grief would be helpful.

Conclusion 

Many geriatric trainees do not feel equipped to support individuals facing loss or grief and felt further training on bereavement and grief would be beneficial. Incorporating this training into the curriculum should be considered.