Needs of the Grieving Spouse in a Hospital Setting

In an attempt to determine whether the spouse whose mate is terminally ill or had died can recognize his own needs and whether he, himself, perceives that he has been helped by nurses, 27 spouses were interviewed during the terminal illness of their mates. Subsequently, 18 mates died; 14 of the spouses were interviewed after the death event. Data were collected by means of tape-recorded semistructured interviews, with the exception of one written second interview. Eight needs of grieving spouses were noted. Twenty-five spouses identified all eight needs and the other two spouses identified five and seven needs, respectively. The fact that the needs were identified did not mean, however, that these needs had been met. Spouses believed nurses had been helpful to the dying mates. The spouses recognized that the nurses' primary responsibility was to the patients and felt that nurses were too busy to help the families. The death event did not alter the identified needs and concerns of the spouses. Eighty-seven percent of the needs identified in the second interview had been identified in the first interview.