Oncology ward nurses' perspectives of family grief and a supportive telephone call after the death of a significant other.

To improve family nursing in oncology wards, a new nursing intervention was created: a supportive telephone call after the death of the patient. Nurses who participated in the intervention kept diaries after the call (n = 95). Data were collected also from hospital records. The numerical data were analyzed by using descriptive statistical analysis and the qualitative data by using content analysis. In the diaries, nurses described family grief and mourning as well as content of the supportive telephone call after the death of a family member. Multidimensionality described the family member's grief. The funeral was an important part of the culturally dictated mourning. Support for the family during the patient's last days at the hospital was meaningful with regard to the grief and the onset of coping. Closeness of the nurse-family relationship varied from a close relationship to an uncertain one. A supportive atmosphere during the call made it possible for the survivor to ask questions and talk. During the call, nurses were able to evaluate the family's coping. They also got feedback concerning the nursing care delivered. The call served as a finishing analysis of the family nursing process. The implications of these results for supporting the grieving family by a telephone intervention are considered.