Three major areas of concern can be identified in the relationship between health care providers and dying patients: a) the nature of the difficulties and stresses associated with terminal care, b) the education of providers for this kind of work, and c) the influence of organizational structure and institutionalized values on services for dying patients and their families. A review of the research literature indicates that obstacles to effective terminal care continue to exist at the personal, interpersonal, and social levels in the current American health care system. Particular attention is given to demonstrated differences among health care professionals in their sources of emotional support and to difficulties associated with innovations in terminal care. Recent developments such as the predetermined reimbursement for health care based on established diagnostic categories (DRGs) have the potential for generating further obstacles to the providers' efforts to function as one human being helping another.

Health care providers and dying patients: critical issues in terminal care.

(1982). The Group Psychotherapy Literature: 1981. International Journal of Group Psychotherapy: Vol. 32, No. 4, pp. 481-554.

The Group Psychotherapy Literature: 1981

The purpose of this study is to determine the effect of a videotape of childrens' reactions to death on viewer's subsequent verbalizations about death in the course of family therapy. Two groups of thirty children in family therapy who had lost a member of their family participated as viewers and non-viewers of the videotape. The two groups were compared on the change in frequency with which they spoke about death during recorded family therapy sessions before and after the viewer group was shown the videotape. Significant gains in frequency were found for the viewer group and none were found for the non-viewer group.

Janet B. York

Papers

The Effect of a Videotape about Death on Bereaved Children in Family Therapy.