Abstract
Clinicians working with cancer patients often continue to help their surviving family members through the bereavement process. To develop an educational bereavement program for survivors, the authors used information available about the process of grieving, its psychological and physical manifestations, the most stressful times for the bereaved, and the most helpful interventions. They telephoned bereaved survivors and sent letters, a “what‐to‐expect” sheet, bibliographies, and listings of support services to them at specified times. One year after the program's inception, they assessed its efficacy with a chart and telephone audit. Most survivors felt the letters and “what‐to‐expect” sheet had been helpful. Most had not used the bibliographies, and half had not needed the support group listings. However, 30% of the survivors who had not initially requested the educational materials did so a median of eight months later. The authors conclude that the program was beneficial for the vast majority of survivors, and they plan to modify it to respond to the deficiencies identified.