No such thing as a good war

In the paper “Family Perspectives on End of Life Care After Surgery: A Qualitative Analysis of the Veteran Affairs Bereaved Family Surveys,” Vitous et al. take on the lofty task of trying to understand what impacts the experience of family members following a patient death after surgery.1 Using a qualitative approach, the authors examined the results of the Bereaved Family Survey – a Veterans Affairs survey sent to the families of deceased Veterans – among families where a Veteran had expired within 90 days of surgery. Thorough analysis of 936 surveys revealed that patients’ families were negatively affected by a perception of unnecessary pain and suffering, poor communication, and lack of power and personal sovereignty. Vitous et al. have provided improved understanding of the experience of family members after the death of their loved one and have identified some viable solutions to these shortfalls.