Management of Labor

Petrie, Kent; Larimore, Walter L.

doi:10.1016/b978-032304306-9.50019-7

Cited by 2 publications

(1 citation statement)

References 103 publications

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“…'Doula', which is a Greek word for 'woman's servant', traditionally refers to 'birth doulas' or 'postpartum doulas' who are trained to provide companionship, continuous labour support and postpartum care. 1 They offer emotional, physical and non-medical care during labour, 2 and facilitate communication between the mother and medical staff. 3 The success of birth doulas has led to the development of doulas in other specialised areas.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Death doulas as supportive companions in end-of-life care: A scoping review

2022

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Background: Death doulas have gained greater attention recently by offering psychosocial, spiritual and other non-clinical support for patients with time-limiting diseases, including their families, with the potential to complement existing end-of-life care services. However, their roles, scope of practice and care impact remain poorly understood. Aim: To describe existing knowledge on death doulas regarding their roles, care impact, training and regulation. Design: This scoping review utilised Levac et al.’s framework and textual narrative synthesis to summarise the findings. Data sources: PubMed, Scopus, CINAHL, PsycINFO, ProQuest, Google Scholar were searched for relevant articles from inception to 20 May 2021. Empirical studies, narrative reports, unpublished theses and studies in English were included. Results: Thirteen articles were included. Death doulas take on diverse roles in end-of-life care. Their roles include providing psychosocial, spiritual, practical support, companionship and resource navigation. The positive impacts of engaging a death doula include continuous presence, holistic service and flexible payment regime. The negative aspects include role inconsistencies and confusion among healthcare professionals and the public. Conclusions: Death doulas can augment existing end-of-life care services by providing holistic and personalised care services at home or hospital settings. Their roles are still evolving and remain mostly unregulated, with little evidence about their impact. There is a need for more rigorous studies to explore healthcare professionals’ views about this role and examine the clinical outcomes among dying persons and their families.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%