Related Experiment Videos
Confidence and Care: Understanding Staff Needs in Supporting Families Through Pregnancy Loss in Gynaecological
Suzanne Heaney1, Áine Aventin1, Martina Galeotti1
1School of Nursing and Midwifery, Queen's University, Belfast, UK, qub.ac.uk.
Aim:
To explore healthcare professionals' confidence, skills and organisational support needs in providing pregnancy loss care within gynaecological settings in Northern Ireland.
Design:
This is a mixed-methods, exploratory study.
Methods:
An anonymous online survey was completed by 18 healthcare professionals. Quantitative data were collected using the Perinatal Bereavement Care Confidence Scale and analysed with descriptive statistics. Open-ended responses were analysed through qualitative content analysis.
Results:
The majority (83%) of participants acknowledged that pregnancy loss is a traumatic event for women. However, only 11% of participants felt well prepared to provide bereavement support. Organisational and environmental barriers were perceived to impede compassionate practice, and the majority of participants (94%) believed continuing bereavement education is needed. Grief counselling skills were highlighted as a particular training need. Analysis of the qualitative data generated four overarching categories reflecting healthcare professionals' perspectives on pregnancy loss care within gynaecological settings: (1) creating safe and compassionate spaces, (2) systemic and structural pressures undermine care, (3) the need for skilled, confident and supported staff and (4) building organisational commitment to bereavement care.
Conclusion:
Healthcare professionals aspire to deliver dignified, person-centred care following pregnancy loss but face systematic and educational barriers. Increasing organisational support as well as investment in staffing levels, bereavement training and access to emotional support are essential for the provision and sustainability of high-quality bereavement care and staff wellbeing.
Implications For The Profession:
Embedding bereavement education, reflective practice and dedicated bereavement care environments within gynaecological services could foster confidence and consistency of bereavement care for pregnancy loss in this setting.
Patient Or Public Contribution:
An advisory group comprising clinicians, bereavement support organisations and women with lived experience contributed to this study.
Reporting Method:
This study adheres to the GRAMMS checklist for mixed-methods reporting.
Related Concept Videos
Techniques of therapeutic communication I: Active Listening, Sharing Observations, Validation, and Using Touch
Therapeutic communication is not the same as social interaction. Social interaction has no goal or purpose and consists of casual information sharing, whereas therapeutic communication has a plan or purpose for the conversation. Therapeutic...
Bonanno's Theory of Grieving
Resilience
The resilience...
Continuing Care
Parental Care
Nursing Ethical Principles II
Consider the following scenario, which illustrates how these principles are applied in the care of Mr. John, a fifty-year-old teacher diagnosed with metastatic liver cancer.
Initially, Mr. John's cancer...
Standard Precaution
Hand hygiene is the most crucial means to prevent the transmission of disease. Employers are legally required to provide their workers with personal protective equipment (PPE) to minimize exposure or contact with...