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. 2022 May 31;52(6):650-653.
doi: 10.1093/jjco/hyac025.

Clinical practice guidelines for the care of psychologically distressed bereaved families who have lost members to physical illness including cancer

Tatsuo Akechi  1   2 , Yosuke Kubota  1   2 , Yoichi Ohtake  3   4 , Noriko Setou  5 , Maiko Fujimori  6 , Emi Takeuchi  7 , Akiko Kurata  8 , Masako Okamura  6 , Hideaki Hasuo  9 , Ryo Sakamoto  10 , Seraki Miyamoto  11 , Mariko Asai  12 , Kumiko Shinozaki  6 , Hideki Onishi  13 , Toshiaki Shinomiya  14 , Toru Okuyama  1   15 , Yukihiro Sakaguchi  16 , Hiromichi Matsuoka  17
Affiliations

Clinical practice guidelines for the care of psychologically distressed bereaved families who have lost members to physical illness including cancer

Tatsuo Akechi et al. Jpn J Clin Oncol. .

Erratum in

  • Correction.
    [No authors listed] [No authors listed] Jpn J Clin Oncol. 2022 Nov 3;52(11):1358. doi: 10.1093/jjco/hyac156. Jpn J Clin Oncol. 2022. PMID: 36124846 Free PMC article. No abstract available.

Abstract

The Japanese Psycho-Oncology Society and the Japanese Association of Supportive Care in Cancer developed evidence-based clinical practice guidelines for the care of psychologically distressed bereaved families who have lost members to physical illness including cancer. The guideline development group formulated two clinical questions. A systematic literature review was conducted. The level of evidence and the strength of the recommendations were graded and recommendation statements validated using the modified Delphi method. The recommendations were as follows: non-pharmacological interventions were indicated for serious psychological distress (depression and grief); antidepressants were indicated for depression; however, psychotropic medications including antidepressants were not recommended for 'complicated' grief. These guidelines will facilitate the provision of appropriate care to distressed bereaved family members and highlight areas where further research is needed.

Keywords: bereavement; bereavement care; depression; grief; guideline; psycho-oncology.

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