• Hiroyuki Otani, Saran Yoshida, Tatsuya Morita, Maho Aoyama, Yoshiyuki Kizawa, Yasuo Shima, Satoru Tsuneto, and Mitsunori Miyashita.
• Department of Palliative Care Team, and Palliative and Supportive Care, National Kyushu Cancer Center, Fukuoka, Japan. Electronic address: cas60020@pop21.odn.ne.jp.
• J Pain Symptom Manage. 2017 Sep 1; 54 (3): 273-279.

ContextFew studies have explored the clinical significance of the family's presence or absence at the moment of a patient's death and meaningful communication (saying "goodbye") in terms of post-bereavement outcomes.ObjectivesTo explore the potential association between the family's depression/complicated grief and their presence at the moment of a patient's death and the patient's communication with the family.MethodsA nationwide questionnaire survey was conducted on 965 family members of cancer patients who had died at palliative care units.ResultsMore than 90% of family members wished to have been present at the moment of death (agree: 40%, n = 217; strongly agree: 51%, n = 280); 79% (n = 393) thereof were present. Families' presence at death was not significantly associated with the occurrence of depression and complicated grief, but the dying patient's ability to say "goodbye" to the family beforehand was (depression: adjusted odds rate, 0.42; 95% CI, 0.26-0.69 adjusted P = 0.001; complicated grief: adjusted odds rate, 0.53; 95% CI, 0.29-0.94 adjusted P = 0.009).ConclusionMany families wished to be present at the moment of the patient's death; however, meaningful communication (saying "goodbye") between the patient and family members, and not their presence or absence itself, was associated with better outcomes on measures of depression or complicated grief. Health care professionals could consider promoting both mutual communication (relating to preparation for death) between family members and patients before imminent death, as well as the family's presence at the moment of death.Copyright © 2017 American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

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