Palliative care professionals’ perceptions of their skills and the implementability of evidence-based bereavement care guidance: A cross-sectional survey study

Objective: Bereavement support is recommended in specialised palliative care, but it is often underdeveloped. This study assessed palliative care professionals’ (PCPs’) skills in family care, their attitudes towards evidence-based practices, and their perceptions of a new, evidence-based bereavement care guidance before its implementation. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted between September and December 2023 in specialised palliative care services in two Swiss hospitals. Seven validated instruments were used to assess PCPs’ skills in family care (FNPS, EPCS, and ICS-Nurse), attitudes towards evidence-based practices (EBP-B), and perception of a newly developed, evidence-based bereavement care guidance (acceptability AIM, appropriateness IAM, feasibility FIM). The data were analysed using descriptive and nonparametric methods. Results: The 39 participants (response 63%; 28 nurses, 6 physicians, 5 others) rated their skills in family care as high (median ⩾75% of scale range) and had an open attitude towards evidence-based practices (median 64%). They perceived the bereavement care guidance as highly acceptable and appropriate (median 75%) and rather feasible (median 68%). A more favourable attitude towards evidence-based practices was associated with higher perceived acceptability (Spearman’s rho, p = 0.038), appropriateness (Spearman’s rho, p = 0.029), and feasibility (Spearman’s rho, p = 0.0019) of the guidance. Acceptability, appropriateness, and self-assessed skills (FNPS) depended on the local context (Mann-Whitney U test, p ⩽ 0.022). Conclusion: This study shows that PCPs rate their skills in working with families at the end of life as high and perceive evidence-based bereavement care as implementable. An open attitude towards evidence-based practices supports more favourable perceptions of new bereavement care guidance before its implementation.