From Grief to Resilience: Supporting the Palliative Care Team’s Healing Process after a Patient’s Suicide

J Palliat Med. 2025 May 23. doi: 10.1089/jpm.2025.0057. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

Suicide by patients can cause significant distress for the palliative care team. This includes feelings of guilt and self-blame which affect both staff morale and mental well-being, which if left unaddressed, can eventually lead to burnout. We report the case of a patient suicide and how our organization implemented a framework to guide and support staff through this process. The HEAL framework comprises 4 components: honoring the loss of the patient, encouraging self-care and organizational support, affirming the individual and team’s sense of meaning and purpose, and learning lessons from the patient’s suicide.

PMID:40405803 | DOI:10.1089/jpm.2025.0057