Paliativos

PO430
Family Support in a Palliative Care Unit in Alentejo: Which are the risks for grief?
Ana Amorim 1 , Vania Cunha 1
1
unidade cuidados paliativos da Ulsna, Portalegre
Introduction: To aess standards and norms regarding grief support in palliative care a grief protocol was implemented
in 2015, following international guidelines.
One year after it’s implementation it’s now necessary to evaluate the grief protocol’s efficiency.
Objective: Describe the prevalence of complicated grief and identify the main risk factors associated.
Methodology: Quantitative, transversal, descriptive study, based in the 2015 data, over 56 patients admitted.
Patients and carers were characterized, based in descriptive statistics to analyze the complicated grief cases, in
palliative care unit and the principal risk factors identified.
Results: In 2015, the palliative care unit admitted 56 patients, 52% male and the majority (84%) had 61 or more
years. We got information about 48 carers, 71% female. 83% between 41 and 80 years.
It wasn’t possible to evaluate each patient carer. We may hypothesize: patients died before the end of the evaluation
process; carers were absent; familiar conflicts; patients assumed the role of carer.
17 cases were identified as being in effective risk for developing complicate grief. Prevalence was higher for females
aged 41-60.
The most frequent risk factors in our sample were: psychopathological history; child presence; lack of familiar and
social support, unresolved grief and unresolved issues.
We may hypothesize that within the assited population cultural factors seems to contribute for the development of
complicated grief, probably the geographic dispersion, conflictual family and interpersonal relationships, and burnout
of the carers.
Conclusion: The palliative care unit must reformulate some procedures regarding the evaluation of carers to be
sure that they all receive the support that they need.
A psychosocial intervention plan to reduce the complicated risk factos must be implemented. as well as a grief
consult.
The palliative care unit must use grief evaluation instruments, validated or adapted to Portugal, to identify carers
at risk.
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