Aims:
Bereavement care can help individuals adjust to the death of a loved one, reducing immediate distress and long-term morbidity. Bereavement resources that provide psychoeducation, and practical and legal information requirements, are key aspects of bereavement care. This research aimed to review the understandability, actionability, readability and cultural appropriateness of resources currently provided to bereaved individuals within palliative and cancer care at an Australian healthcare setting.
Methods:
Resources were evaluated to assess (i) understandability and actionability using the Patient Education Materials Assessment Tool (PEMAT), (ii) readability using the Sydney Health Literacy Lab editor, (iii) cultural inclusivity for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and (iv) accessibility for culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) populations.
Results:
Thirty print resources were identified and assessed. The materials included information on grief (n=12), bereavement resource lists (n=8), practical guides (n=7), bereavement pack introductions (n=2), and a Memorial Day invitation.
The mean PEMAT score for understandability was 60% (range 46-80%) and actionability was 27% (range 0-80%), indicating poor understandability and actionability. The mean readability grade was 11.9, significantly higher than the grade 8 reading level recommended for the general public. Four resources scored 1 out of 7 for relevancy to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, the remaining resources scored 0, demonstrating minimal cultural inclusivity. Nine resources contained information aimed at CALD populations, but accessibility was limited.
Conclusions:
Our review highlighted current bereavement resources require a high level of literacy and are not inclusive for diverse populations. Attention to health literacy principles and cultural inclusivity is required to ensure the needs of all bereaved people are met.