Authors (including presenting author) :
Wong KY(1) & Ng NC(1)
Affiliation :
(1)Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Pamela Youde Nethersole Eastern Hospital
Introduction :
Pregnancy brings happiness, hope and continuity of life. In an unfortunate event of perinatal loss, which is often sudden and intensely devastating, the mother is forced to experience the pain of birth and death simultaneously. A multidisciplinary hospital-based bereavement service, led by the Grief Counselling and Support Team (the Team), has been developed to provide support and care to the grieving mothers during this vulnerable period.
Objectives :
(1)To explore the view of Chinese women experiencing perinatal loss under the care of the Team
(2)To evaluate the hospital-based bereavement service (3)To formulate implication for practice in the department
Methodology :
Cross-sectional and mixed method research design were adopted. Women experiencing perinatal loss within one year were recruited. Data was collected by self-administered questionnaires or phone interviews. Rating of the hospital-based bereavement service and structured open-ended questions about the experience of perinatal loss were explored.
Result & Outcome :
Forty-six women with perinatal loss had participated in the study. Among them, 14 women had miscarriages, 21 women had termination of pregnancy due to medical reasons, 5 women had stillbirths and 6 women had neonatal deaths. All participants commented that the attitude of the healthcare providers was very caring. Almost all (98%) of the participants felt relieved after talking with nurses. More than 90% of the participants reported that they received adequate information and explanation about induction process, pain relief method and postnatal care.
The most frequently appreciated interventions were being consoled by caring nurses, tangible tokens of remembrance like baby footprints and photos, arrangement of a quiet single room which allowed husband as companion, peer support including peer support group and the bereavement booklet, which comprised sharing and stories written by other bereaved parents.
In general, almost all participants (98%) satisfied with the bereavement service provided by the Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology and reported that it was helpful to them. Conclusion:
Perinatal loss is a traumatic life event for the bereaved mothers. The participants expressed high appreciation to the healthcare providers who helped them going through the traumatic life event. The bereaved mothers also showed high satisfaction to the hospital-based bereavement service, which was led by the Grief Counselling and Support Team.
Co-location with:
