Evidence map›Paper›PMID 35786109›Full record

ArticlePalliative medicine2022

Bereavement outcomes in family members of those who died in acute care hospitals before and during the first wave of COVID-19: A cohort study.

James Downar, Henrique A Parsons, Leila Cohen, Ella Besserer, Samantha Adeli, Valérie Gratton, Rebekah Murphy, Grace Warmels, Adrianna Bruni, Khadija Bhimji and 18 more

Registry-linked trialOpen access · greenAbstract read
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in Palliative medicine, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to trial NCT06953596 (Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation to Treat Prolonged Grief Disorder), which is not on this map. Cited by 11 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
11citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
5.6field-weighted citation impact, top 3% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

NCT06953596 narecruitingnot on this mapstarted 2025, after this paper: background citation

Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation to Treat Prolonged Grief Disorder: A Single-centre, Single-arm, Open-label Phase I/II Proof-of-concept and Feasibility Clinical Trial

TypeinterventionalSponsorBruyère Health Research Institute.Ran2025 to 2027Enrolled15ConditionsProlonged Grief Disorder, Complicated GriefArmsRepetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (rTMS)
3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

11 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 30 citations in OpenAlex.

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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

28 authors at 4 institutions in 2 countries.

James DownarDivision of Palliative Care, Department of Medicine, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, Canada.ORCID 0000-0001-7479-1560
Henrique A ParsonsDivision of Palliative Care, Department of Medicine, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, Canada.
Leila CohenDivision of Palliative Care, Department of Medicine, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, Canada.
Ella BessererThe Ottawa Hospital, Ottawa, ON, Canada.
Samantha AdeliFaculty of Medicine, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, Canada.
Valérie GrattonDivision of Palliative Care, Department of Medicine, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, Canada.
Rebekah MurphyDivision of Palliative Care, Department of Medicine, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, Canada.
Grace WarmelsDivision of Palliative Care, Department of Medicine, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, Canada.
Adrianna BruniDivision of Palliative Care, Department of Medicine, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, Canada.
Khadija BhimjiDivision of Palliative Care, Department of Medicine, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, Canada.
Claire DyasonDivision of Palliative Care, Department of Medicine, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, Canada.
Paula EnrightDivision of Palliative Care, Department of Medicine, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, Canada.
Isabelle DesjardinsThe Ottawa Hospital, Ottawa, ON, Canada.
Krista WoollerThe Ottawa Hospital, Ottawa, ON, Canada.
Monisha KabirOttawa Hospital Research Institute, Ottawa, ON, Canada.ORCID 0000-0002-4456-7661
Chelsea NoelOttawa Hospital Research Institute, Ottawa, ON, Canada.
Brandon HeidingerOttawa Hospital Research Institute, Ottawa, ON, Canada.
Koby AndersonOttawa Hospital Research Institute, Ottawa, ON, Canada.
Kyle Arsenault-MehtaFaculty of Medicine, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, Canada.
Julie LapenskieOttawa Hospital Research Institute, Ottawa, ON, Canada.
Colleen WebberOttawa Hospital Research Institute, Ottawa, ON, Canada.ORCID 0000-0001-9193-5386
Daniel BedardInstitut du Savoir Montfort, Ottawa, ON, Canada.
Akshai IyengarQueensway-Carleton Hospital, Ottawa, ON, Canada.
Shirley H BushDivision of Palliative Care, Department of Medicine, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, Canada.
Sarina R IsenbergDivision of Palliative Care, Department of Medicine, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, Canada.
Peter TanuseputroDivision of Palliative Care, Department of Medicine, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, Canada.ORCID 0000-0002-4409-0795
Brandi Vanderspank-WrightSchool of Nursing, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, Canada.
Peter LawlorDivision of Palliative Care, Department of Medicine, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, Canada.ORCID 0000-0001-7319-1395
University of Ottawa · CAOttawa Hospital · CAInstitut du Savoir Montfort · CAQueensway-Carleton Hospital · CA

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundThe COVID-19 pandemic has caused millions of deaths worldwide, leading to symptoms of grief among the bereaved. Neither the burden of severe grief nor its predictors are fully known within the context of the pandemic.

aimTo determine the prevalence and predictors of severe grief in family members who were bereaved early in the COVID-19 pandemic.

designProspective, matched cohort study. SETTING/

participantsFamily members of people who died in an acute hospital in Ottawa, Canada between November 1, 2019 and August 31, 2020. We matched relatives of patients who died of COVID (COVID +ve) with those who died of non-COVID illness either during wave 1 of the pandemic (COVID -ve) or immediately prior to its onset (pre-COVID). We abstracted decedents' medical records, contacted family members >6 months post loss, and assessed grief symptoms using the Inventory of Complicated Grief-revised.

resultsWe abstracted data for 425 decedents (85 COVID +ve, 170 COVID -ve, and 170 pre-COVID), and 110 of 165 contacted family members (67%) consented to participate. Pre-COVID family members were physically present more in the last 48 h of life; the COVID +ve cohort were more present virtually. Overall, 35 family members (28.9%) had severe grief symptoms, and the prevalence was similar among the cohorts (

conclusionSevere grief is common among family members bereaved during the COVID-19 pandemic, regardless of the cause or circumstances of death, and even if their loss took place before the onset of the pandemic. This suggests that aspects of the pandemic itself contribute to severe grief, and factors that normally mitigate grief may not be as effective.

Indexed as

BereavementCOVID-19Cohort StudiesFamilyGriefHospitalsHumansPandemicsProspective Studiesbereavementcohort studiesCOVID-19griefpalliative careprolonged grief disorder

Identifiers

PMID35786109
PMCPMC9446458
OpenAlexW4283792942

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY-NC
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.