Exploring interactions between women who have experienced pregnancy loss and obstetric nursing staff: a descriptive qualitative study in China

Abstract

Background Contradictory interactions between bereaved women who have experienced pregnancy loss and obstetric nursing staff are becoming increasingly prominent. The aim of the present study was to gain an understanding of how women who have experienced pregnancy loss and obstetric nursing staff perceive their interactions, what influencing factors impacted their experiences. Methods A qualitative, exploratory study was conducted in a delivery room and six maternity wards of a tertiary hospital. Semi-structured interviews were performed with six nurses, 13 midwives and seven women who experienced pregnancy loss to collect rich information about how they make sense of their interactions. Thematic analysis was adopted to analyse the data. Results Five overarching themes were identified: (1) interaction characteristics, (2) interactive contradiction, (3) influencing factors of the interaction, (4) training needs and (5) suggestions for benign interactions. Conclusions Healthcare providers should be instructed in adopting a respectful and sympathetic attitude in communication, strengthening information support and offering patient-centred care for benign interactions. Ignoring women’s needs and using disrespectful words should be avoided. Training for preparing nurses and midwives in perinatal bereavement care and addressing heavy emotional burden is necessary. Additional efforts are needed to improve medical services and to facilitate benign interactions in induced abortion care.

Experiences of obstetric nurses and midwives receiving a perinatal bereavement care training programme: A qualitative study

“…That suggestion reflected their busy clinical work. It is similar to previous findings where nurses and midwives also reported the heavy clinical workload was an influencing factor in the bereavement care they provided ( 19 ). The improvement of bereavement care involves the contribution of individuals, teams, institutions, and systems ( 46 ).…”

“…Positive feedback reflected the effectiveness of the PBCTP. The PBCTP intervention included comprehensive training content, based on a systematic scoping review ( 21 ) and the exploration of Chinese perinatal bereavement care ( 19 ), which enhanced the evidence-based rigor of the programme. Therefore, wider application and testing of the PBCTP intervention should be conducted with larger samples and in diverse communities to verify its effectiveness.…”

“…It may further hinder the quality of care they offer ( 17 , 18 ). Thus, the gap between women’s needs for high-quality care and nursing and midwifery professionals’ lack of perinatal bereavement care capability has become increasingly prominent ( 17 , 19 , 20 ).…”

Lived experiences of women with spontaneous abortion at a district hospital, South Africa

“…The emotional impact of pregnancy loss is a shared experience and a systematic review revealed how nurses purposefully limit interaction with patients or keep themselves busy with other tasks, as coping mechanisms. 34 , 35 Moreover, a South African study highlighted the negative impact of burnout and secondary traumatic stress on the ability of nurses to deliver compassionate care. 36 Nurses also mentioned feeling ill-equipped and lacking confidence to provide meaningful emotional support and care, emphasising the need for skilled counsellors.…”

“… 36 Nurses also mentioned feeling ill-equipped and lacking confidence to provide meaningful emotional support and care, emphasising the need for skilled counsellors. 34 , 35 Nonetheless, patients clearly valued acknowledgement of their distress and experienced more compassionate care when healthcare workers respected the emotional impact of their pregnancy loss.…”