Grief training outcomes were usually measured by immediate self-assessment showing increased knowledge and comfort, with few studies measuring patient care, physician well-being or longitudinal effects¶

Claim · All claims
Evidence · 1 study (2 entries) · review r2–r3 · q2
Currency · newest study 2019 · not yet checked against its sources · not reviewed by a person

Subclaims¶

q2 i? Impact was measured in 57% of articles (n = 21), and 81% of those relied on self-assessments administered immediately after training. → Sikstrom L 2019 q2 i? Only a few studies (11%) measured longitudinal outcomes, so impact on behaviour and practice in clinical settings was unclear. → Sikstrom L 2019 (2)

Evidence¶

Sikstrom L 2019¶

Sikstrom L, Saikaly R, Ferguson G, Mosher PJ, Bonato S, Soklaridis S. (2019). Being there: A scoping review of grief support training in medical education. PLoS ONE. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0224325

q2 · i? · review · r3

Quantitative synthesis of the 37 included publications. The review tabulated evaluation designs and reports that "Most of these (81%) relied on self-assessments (e.g., Likert scale)" administered immediately after training.

"The impact of grief training was measured in 57% of articles (n = 21). Most of these (81%) relied on self-assessments (e.g., Likert scale) that occurred immediately after the training was complete."

Sikstrom L 2019 (2)¶

Sikstrom L, Saikaly R, Ferguson G, Mosher PJ, Bonato S, Soklaridis S. (2019). Being there: A scoping review of grief support training in medical education. PLoS ONE. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0224325

q2 · i? · review · r2

The review's discussion of evaluation gaps reports that "only a few (11%) of the studies measured longitudinal outcomes", leaving behavioural and practice impact unclear.

"the actual impact on behaviour and practice in clinical settings was unclear since only a few (11%) of the studies measured longitudinal outcomes."

Discussion¶

Related Claims¶

• Only 14% of the reviewed grief-training articles provided a theoretical framework or empirical definition of grief, and all focused on bereavement grief
• Evidence on transfer to clinical behavior and patient outcomes is scarce: only 2 studies reached Kirkpatrick level 3 and 1 reached level 4
• In a Danish RCT, trained physicians identified more cases of complicated grief and prescribed fewer psychotropic drugs than untrained control physicians
• In a Spanish RCT, widows whose family physician was trained in bereavement care experienced poorer emotional outcomes than widows in the control group
• A US randomized controlled trial found significantly decreased burnout after physicians attended four modules on stress, grief and burnout in medicine — related
• Grief training in medical education is most often delivered as short voluntary workshops focused on transmitting knowledge about death, dying and bereavement — related
• No reviewed game study measured behavioural change or patient/health-care outcomes; most measured knowledge and skills — a narrower finding that bears on this claim
• Trainees valued grief training activities involving reflection, debriefing with peers and the direct involvement of bereaved caregivers — related