Compassionate Grief Care for Your Patients
Introducing the The Adult Attitude to Grief scale (AAG) – Now Available to General Practices via Healthily GoShare Plus Platform
Understanding Grief in Healthcare
Grief is a natural response to loss that can impact both emotional and physical health, particularly in chronic illness, palliative care, and bereavement. Recognising and addressing grief is crucial for supporting patients' well-being. Grief varies widely in duration; some may find relief quickly, while others may struggle for an extended period. Professional support from counsellors or therapists can help those experiencing prolonged or complicated grief.
What is the Adult Attitude to Grief (AAG) Scale?
The AAG Scale is a brief, evidence-based tool designed to assess patients' responses to grief. It helps General Practitioners understand how patients are coping with loss, providing a structured way to evaluate their emotional state.
How It Works
- Survey Structure: The AAG Scale consists of nine items, each rated on a Likert scale from "strongly agree" to "strongly disagree."
- Scoring and Categories: Responses are analysed to determine whether a patient’s grief reactions are more controlled or overwhelmed and whether their coping responses are vulnerable or resilient.
- Calculation: The scale aggregates responses into these categories, providing insights into the patient's level of vulnerability and support needs.
Benefits for Your Practice
- Enhanced Patient Care: By assessing grief reactions and coping strategies, the AAG Scale helps tailor your approach to individual patient needs.
- Ongoing Monitoring: Surveys can be scheduled at any times e.g. three, six or 12 months after a significant event to track long-term progress and provide continued support.
- Early Detection: Identifying grief-related issues early allows for timely intervention and support.
- Seamless Integration: The AAG Scale is administered via the GoShare Platform, which supports survey distribution through SMS or email. Responses are securely collected and easily accessible, with no additional paperwork required.
How to Implement the AAG Scale
Through the GoShare Platform:
- Survey Administration: Use GoShare to send out surveys to patients via SMS or email.
- Notification and Access: Your practice will receive alerts when surveys are completed, and responses are securely available for review.
What’s Included:
- Access to GoShare, enabling use of the AAG survey tool.
- Training and Resources for your staff to effectively use the platform.
- SMS Credits for distributing surveys.
There is no cost to your practice for implementing this program. Country SA PHN is funding software licences and staff training to enable practices to distribute the AAG Scale and assess patient responses.
Getting Started
To use the AAG Scale in your practice, please complete our Expression of Interest form. For more information or support, contact us at [email protected]. We are here to assist you in integrating this tool into your care practices.
Published on: October 30, 2024
Last updated on: October 31, 2024
