rewarding conclusion of the relationship": staff members' perspectives on providing bereavement follow-up, 2011, Supportive Care in Cancer, (19) None of the respondents stated that bereavement follow-up was "most often difficult", 23%, "most often rather difficult", 52.5% "most often rather easy" and 12.5% "most often easy". Apart from a tendency for age to be linked to perceived difficulty, there were no apparent patterns. Bereavement follow-up was a positive opportunity to support the family member's coping with their bereavement and to get feedback on the palliative care provided.Critical aspects concerned the question of whose needs actually were being met at bereavement follow-up, i.e. the staff members' needs for getting feedback on the care provided vs. the risk of burdening the family members' by reminding them of the deceased's dying trajectory. Aspects that negatively influenced the staff members' experiences were complex and related e.g. to the family member's dissatisfaction with the care provided, to the staff member's perceived lack of competence and to the staff member's relationship to the family member. Conclusions: Bereavement follow-up was perceived as a rewarding conclusion to the relationship with the family member. The findings suggest that meaningbased coping might be an appropriate framework when understanding staff members' experiences with providing bereavement follow-up.