Humanism and Professionalism: Bereavement Care in the Wake of COVID-19: Offering Condolences and Referrals

The COVID-19 pandemic is causing deaths with forced separations that deny final goodbyes and traditional mourning rituals. This article describes resources for clinicians to use when circumstances make providing ideal bereavement care difficult.

Use this article to:

  • Think about patients you've had who died of COVID-19.
  • Review the framework provided in the Table and role-play conversations in which you need to tell a family member about their loved one's death over the telephone.

Annals of Internal Medicine is the premier internal medicine academic journal published by the American College of Physicians (ACP). It is one of the most widely cited and influential specialty medical journals in the world.

Back to the January 2021 issue of ACP IMpact