Objectives/purpose: Timely identification of individuals at risk for prolonged grief is essential for delivering appropriate psychosocial support in palliative care. While numerous bereavement risk screening tools exist, few balance comprehensive assessment of psychosocial risk factors with the practical demands of clinical settings. The aim of this research was to evaluate the content and psychometric properties of bereavement risk screening tools used in palliative care and assess their alignment with current clinical practices.
Sample and setting: A systematic search of PsycINFO, CINAHL, PubMed, and the Cochrane Library was conducted to identify bereavement risk screening tools developed or evaluated in the past decade. This review builds on a 2014 study that identified 19 tools.
Procedures: A total of 490 titles and abstracts and 161 full-text articles were screened, yielding 88 articles for data extraction and 11 new tools. Each tool’s components were mapped against bereavement risk domains currently assessed by a NSW palliative care service and psychometrically evaluated using the COSMIN criteria.
Results: Of the 30 validated tools reviewed, most demonstrated acceptable psychometric properties. However, their clinical feasibility varied widely. Mapping revealed that no single tool comprehensively addressed all domains currently assessed in routine clinical practice.
Conclusion and clinical implications: The findings underscore a critical gap between validated bereavement screening tools and the multidimensional assessments used by clinicians. Developing a screening protocol that integrates robust evidence with clinical realities is essential to ensure consistent, person-centred bereavement care. This work lays the foundation for a tailored, practical approach to bereavement risk screening in palliative and oncology care settings.