Publication
"Golden" moments and more in grief talk: Healthcare professionals' approaches to discussing loss and grief with parents of children with severe neurological impairment
Brennan E, Guerin S · Palliative Medicine · 2026
Background: Experiential studies on healthcare professionals' approaches to loss and grief discussions with parents of children with severe neurological impairment are needed to understand grief experiences of this emerging population Aim: This study aimed to explore healthcare professionals' experiences regarding their approach to these discussions, as well as to gather recommendations for best practices in initiating these conversations. Design(s): A qualitative exploratory study was conducted. Transcripts were analysed using reflexive thematic analysis, adhering to the reflexive thematic analysis reporting guidelines (RTARG). Setting/Participants: The study purposively sampled healthcare professionals (n = 20) from medical, health, allied health, and social care disciplines. Participants were recruited within hospital, hospice, community, and disability settings in Ireland. Result(s): Four key themes were identified during the analysis: (1) Conversations with a Purpose, (2) Being Receptive to Moments for Grief Talk, (3) It's the Parent's Story, and (4) A Skilled and Compassionate Workforce. They represent how professionals purposefully engaged in loss and grief discussions, attuning to moments when parents were receptive to such discussions. Professionals emphasised the need to respect parents' autonomy in seeking and accepting grief support. Compassionate communication was central to these discussions. Conclusion(s): This study represents a foundational step in understanding how professionals approach discussions of loss and grief. The themes underscore the need for increased awareness among professionals to ensure grief support is available at the level of contact, as advocated by the public health model of bereavement support. This study emphasises the importance of supporting bereavement care throughout the condition trajectory.Copyright © The Author(s) 2026. This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/) which permits non-commercial use, reproduction and distribution of the work without further permission provided the original work is attributed as specified on the SAGE and Open Access pages (https://us.sagepub.com/en-us/nam/open-access-at-sage).
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