Introduction:

Grief is a natural and self-limited process of adaptation to a new reality that arises after a significant loss, real or perceived, with a wide range of manifestations that produce an impact on the health of the grieving person. There are few studies carried out from a nurse's point of view that show the effects of grieving.

Objective:

To determine the impact of grief over time, including its vision through the language of care.

Method:

Retrospective longitudinal study, using the electronic health records of the Canary Islands primary health service of people with a diagnosis of grieving, risk of complicated grieving and complicated grieving, in the period 2009-2014.

Results:

Mourners with complications undergo an increased need for care after loss, identifying sig increased need for care after loss, identifying significant differences according to age, sex, and time. Besides, their morbidity increases with more cardiovascular problems, anxiety, depression, and insomnia, and they are more frequently referred to the mental health service.

Conclusion:

Nurse epidemiology gives an accurate image of the care needs of the grieving person. More research is needed within this field addressing diagnostic accuracy and adequacy, the precise assessment of individual care needs, and the evolution of grieving over time.

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