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Professionals' Practices and Views regarding Neonatal Postmortem: Can We Improve Consent Rates by Improving Training?
Hannah Spierson1, Susan Kamupira2, Claire Storey3
1Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, St Mary's Hospital, Manchester University Hospitals NHSFT, Manchester, United Kingdom, hannahspierson@gmail.com.
Neonatal healthcare professionals in the UK find observing a postmortem (PM) improves their confidence in discussing consent with parents. Training in communication and emotional support can help overcome barriers to neonatal postmortem examinations.
Area of Science:
- Neonatal Medicine
- Medical Ethics
- Healthcare Professional Training
Background:
- Neonatal postmortem (PM) rates are low in the UK.
- Parental consent is mandatory for all neonatal PM examinations.
- Discussing PM examinations with parents is a crucial aspect of neonatal care.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate neonatal healthcare professionals' experiences with the consent process for neonatal postmortem examinations.
- To assess healthcare professionals' knowledge and views on obtaining consent for neonatal PMs.
- To identify barriers and facilitators in the neonatal postmortem consent process.
Main Methods:
- An online survey was distributed to neonatal healthcare providers across the UK.
- 103 healthcare professionals, including 84 doctors, completed the survey.
- Data analysis focused on experiences, knowledge, and views regarding neonatal PM consent.
Main Results:
- Cultural and religious factors, along with parent-professional rapport, were identified as barriers to consent.
- Professionals who had observed a PM reported higher satisfaction with training and confidence in counselling.
- Healthcare professionals tended to underestimate the diagnostic yield of neonatal PM examinations.
Conclusions:
- Observing a neonatal postmortem can enhance staff confidence in counselling parents about consent.
- Training in building rapport and managing parental distress is essential to overcome consent barriers.
- Improving healthcare professionals' confidence and communication skills may increase neonatal PM rates.
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