Abstract
Hospice nurses routinely work with grieving families and provide bereavement follow-up services. However, many nursing programs do not require courses in death, dying, end-of-life care, or bereavement. The following review of grief theories and models is intended to supplement hospice nurses' understanding of how perspectives on grief have changed over time and how interventions vary depending on one's viewpoint. This information helps nurses situate their clinical experiences and expertise within several theoretical models. Recommendations offered for hospice nursing practice will be derived only from empirically derived models of bereavement because evidence-based practice must be rooted in evidence-based theories.