Management of relatives of patients who are dying.

Previous research in a retrospective community-based study suggested that some relatives had difficulty coping with their bereavement when the pre-bereavement period had not been managed well. This prospective study in a hospital setting explored the issues further to include the views and needs of staff as well as relatives. Staff were interviewed in focus groups and relatives were interviewed individually. Analysis of data was qualitative using thematic analysis. Findings demonstrated that staff often felt ill-equipped for providing support for relatives when a patient is dying. Training is required to help nurses support and care for the relatives of dying patients.