Bereaved families’ experiences of a supported viewing service
Research type
Research Study
Full title
An interpretative phenomenological analysis of bereaved families’ experiences of a supported viewing service
IRAS ID
306803
Contact name
Nikolaos Efstathiou
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
University of Birmingham
Duration of Study in the UK
0 years, 11 months, 30 days
Research summary
Appropriate support around the time of death and afterwards is essential to providing good quality end-of-life care and to creating the foundations for a healthy bereavement. Normally the patient care provider will be a bereaved family’s key point of contact and responsibility rests with service providers to ensure that systems are in place for people closely affected by a death. The COVID-19 pandemic had a profound impact on the way bereavement support could be provided in the hospital setting and beyond. In response, the Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust initiated a supported viewing service to help meet the needs of grieving families. The service, launched at New Cross Hospital (NCH) in Spring 2020, was a redesign of the provision for viewing the deceased person. To our knowledge, its features are unique to NCH.
This study will recruit 15 bereaved adults who accessed the supported viewing service. We aim to find out more about the special care that bereaved families require, perceptions of the service provided, and any ways in which we may enhance their experience. Eligible participants will be 3-12 months bereaved at the time of recruitment, in keeping with a recognised ethical framework for bereavement research. Interview data will be collected via telephone or a video call, according to participants’ choice, and analysed to provide an insightful account of bereaved family experiences.
Previous studies suggest that deciding about whether or not to view the deceased person can be difficult for some families. We therefore see the study findings as providing information that may help other families to make an informed choice at such a difficult time in their lives.
Researchers guiding this study are experienced, both as part of their research work and some clinically, as health professionals, in supporting the bereaved. The study will be carried out over 12-months.REC name
East Midlands - Leicester South Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
22/EM/0069
Date of REC Opinion
9 May 2022
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion