A nurse-led memorial event for families bereaved by cystic fibrosis

How a specialist cystic fibrosis nursing team developed a memorial event for bereaved family and friends.

Abstract

The death of a person with cystic fibrosis is a profound emotional experience for families, friends and the specialist cystic fibrosis team caring for that individual. To enhance support for bereaved families, nurse specialists at the Cystic Fibrosis Centre in Newcastle upon Tyne arranged a memorial event as an innovation in our services. We describe our experience of the practical arrangements of running the event and report the feedback from relatives and staff who identified positive themes and suggested improvements. The event was judged to have been a beneficial experience by both relatives and staff who attended.

Citation: Anderson A, Bourke S (2024) A nurse-led memorial event for families bereaved by cystic fibrosis. Nursing Times [online]; 120: 3.

Authors: Alan Anderson is cystic fibrosis nurse specialist; Stephen Bourke is consultant physician, both at the Cystic Fibrosis Centre, Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust.