Professional bereavement Among Clinical Nurses: A Scoping Review

Background Patient death is an unavoidable and repeatedly encountered occupational stressor for clinical nurses. The grief triggered by such work-related experiences, defined as professional bereavement, has been increasingly acknowledged as a widespread occupational issue with substantial psychological costs. Objectives This scoping review examines the psychological experiences of professional bereavement among clinical nurses, identifies its key influencing factors, and maps existing intervention strategies, so as to provide actionable references for subsequent in-depth research and targeted clinical practice. Methods Guided by the established scoping review framework, we systematically searched six databases including Web of Science, Embase, the Cochrane Library, CINAHL, CNKI and Wanfang for studies on professional bereavement among clinical nurses. The search period covered the time from the inception of each database to October 14, 2026, and a descriptive and integrative analysis was conducted on the final included studies. Results A total of 12 studies were included in this review, consisting of 6 qualitative studies and 6 cross-sectional studies. The psychological experiences of nurses with professional bereavement are mainly manifested as emotional distress, psychological detachment and interpersonal interaction difficulties. Influencing factors can be summarised into three dimensions: situational factors, individual internal factors and environmental external factors. Existing intervention strategies are divided into two main categories: educational interventions and psychosocial interventions. Available evidence indicates that these two types of strategies show potential effects in mitigating professional bereavement and improving nurses’ psychological status. Conclusions Current research on professional bereavement among clinical nurses remains at an initial stage. The influencing factors of this phenomenon are complex, and its underlying formation mechanism has not been fully clarified, while the types of reported intervention strategies are relatively limited. Future efforts are recommended to construct early identification models, expand longitudinal follow-up studies and rigorous intervention trials, so as to effectively reduce the adverse outcomes of professional bereavement among clinical nurses, improve their professional identity and occupational well-being, and support the stability and sustainable development of the nursing team.