RPD204 - Poetic Medicine for the Bereaved: Development, Implementation, and Evaluation of a Pilot Intervention

Key Message : Poetic Medicine is a therapeutic process in which participants listen to and write poetry in community. This presentation describes the development, implementation, and evaluation of a virtual Poetic Medicine program for bereaved individuals from diverse backgrounds, highlighting outcomes demonstrating emotional benefit and implications for implementation, scalability, and future research.

Abstract:

Background:
There is growing interest in poetry as a healing modality within healthcare.[1,2] Poetic Medicine is a therapeutic process offering a defined and structured format in which participants listen to and write poetry in community.[3] Although widely practiced, few poetry-based interventions have been systematically evaluated for bereaved populations. This pilot aimed to address that gap by developing and studying a standardized Poetic Medicine model designed for grief support.[3]

Objective:
To evaluate the feasibility, acceptability, and psychological impact of a virtual Poetic Medicine intervention for bereaved individuals.

Methods:
Developed by an interprofessional team with expertise in palliative medicine and Poetic Medicine, the pilot included three cohorts of bereaved individuals from diverse communities. Participants attended three 60-minute virtual sessions following a structured format of listening, reflecting, and writing poetry, with the option to share aloud. All facilitators were trained by the UCSF MERI Center to ensure a consistent, supportive approach. Participants provided pre-intervention demographics, post-session Likert evaluations, and pre-/post-intervention validated scales assessing depression, anxiety, grief, loneliness, hope, resilience, and spiritual well-being. Paired analyses compared pre- and post-scores using two-tailed tests; qualitative feedback was reviewed for thematic insights.

Results:
Forty-eight participants engaged; 41 completed post-evaluations and 37 completed pre-post scales. Ninety-seven percent were somewhat or extremely likely to recommend the workshops, and over 70% reported the sessions helped them cope with grief. Pre-post testing showed significant decreases in depression (PHQ-8, p=0.009) and anxiety (GAD-7, p=0.03), and increases in resilience (BRCS, p=0.005) and spiritual well-being (FACIT-Sp meaning p=0.04; peace p=0.02). Qualitative themes emphasized connection, shared humanity, and safe expression of emotion.

Conclusions:
Poetic Medicine is a feasible, scalable, accessible, and creative intervention that meaningfully supports bereaved individuals from diverse settings and backgrounds. Findings demonstrate high satisfaction and measurable improvements in psychosocial outcomes, advancing evidence-based approaches to addressing grief and emotional suffering in palliative care.

References: [1] Barbour, J. B., King, N. M., & Parker, L. S. (2015). Poetry and story as evidence for caring in cancer care. Journal of Poetry Therapy, 28(3), 149–167.

[2] Pennebaker, J. W. (1997). Writing about emotional experiences as a therapeutic process. Psychological Science, 8(3), 162–166.

[3] Kwok I, Keyssar JR, Spitzer L, Kojimoto G, Hauser J, Ritchie CS, Rabow M. Poetry as a Healing Modality in Medicine: Current State and Common Structures for Implementation and Research. J Pain Symptom Manage. 2022 Aug;64(2):e91-e100. doi: 10.1016/j.jpainsymman.2022.04.170. Epub 2022 May 15. PMID: 35584740.