International Journal of Emergency Mental Health and Human Resilience
Open Access

Review Article

Family Physicians and Primary Bereavement Care

Jesus García^1*, Victor Landa²

¹Kueto Health Centre, Sestao, Bizkaia, Basque Country, Spain

²Basauri Health Centre, Basauri, Bizkaia, Basque Country, Spain

*Corresponding Author:

Jesus García
E-mail: jesusangel.garciagarcia@osakidetza.net

The authors put forward the proposal that family physicians - in primary care - can establish with bereaved people a helping relationship, give them an ear, facilitate their emotional expression, give information about their bereavement, normalize their process, and orientate them. These psychotherapeutic non-specific factors may be remembered using the acronym REFINO (relationship, ear, facilitation, information, normalization, and orientation). However there is no evidence on the best bereavement intervention in primary care, so the discussion about the over-prevention or over-treatment of bereaved people and the damage that these can produce continues open. Family physicians should try with new and original bereavement interventions - especially in primary prevention - in primary care.

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