Professional grief in cancer care - A scoping review

Abstract

Objective: Healthcare professionals (HCPs) in cancer care often face patient deaths, yet there is a notable absence of comprehensive evidence regarding their grief. This scoping review seeks to identify key aspects of professional grief in cancer care and give an overview pertaining its' conceptualization and frequency and intensity. Methods: The primary search covered three databases (PUBMED, PSYNDEX, and PsycINFO). Two independent reviewers assessed 2,248 records, selecting 34 eligible articles. Results: Most studies originated from North America and Israel, with limited evidence from the global south, East Asia and Europe, as well as few quantitative studies. HCPs exhibit classic grief symptoms (such as sadness) and distinct features (e.g., feelings of guilt) in response to patient deaths, though a clear definition and measures of professional grief are lacking. Grief frequency varies highly (from 23% to 100%). Conclusions: Future research should refine definitions and measures to better support HCPs in effectively managing professional grief in cancer care.