Viewings of deceased persons in a hospital mortuary: critical reflection on social work practice

Although social workers have been employed in acute hospitals for many decades and in some city mortuaries since the 1980s, little has been written about the assistance they provide to individuals to view bodies of family members who have died in sudden and unexpected circumstances. Using an approach based on critical reflection, the paper discusses the authors’ interest in writing about this specific area of practice as it has developed at the Royal Hobart Hospital during the last 10 years. It presents an overview of relevant theoretical and research literature, including discussion of the mortuary as a location for social work practice. Procedures followed by social workers in assisting with viewings are described and placed in the context of single session work as an appropriate framework for this specialist practice. The paper concludes by emphasising the importance of caring for staff engaged in work that is both personally and professionally confronting and demanding through preparation and through the development of a culture of leadership and support.