Approach to grief in primary health care

Abstract

Grief is the experience caused by the death of a loved one and represents a natural response to the stress of loss; it involves psychological and physiological symptoms that lead to increased morbidity and mortality. Bereaved patients are seen more often in primary health care (PHC) and receive more psychotropic medication; despite this, grief is neglected in health promotion activities, and teams often do not know how to approach it effectively. There is evidence that family physicians may not have the appropriate skills to deal with grief. Therefore, the objective of this study was to guide PHC professionals in the mourning approach. An integrative review was carried out in several databases in June 2021, which included published articles, without determining the time period, in Portuguese, English and Spanish. At the end of the literature search, 49 articles were selected for evaluation. Most people adapt to loss without the need for clinical interventions; there is no evidence for the benefit of using benzodiazepines and antidepressants for bereaved patients who do not meet the criteria for mental illness. In addition, the preference is for a biopsychosocial approach. Scientific evidence shows that there are few studies on which professionals working in PHC can support their practice. Despite these limitations, the available studies serve as the basis for guidelines for approaching grief.