Nurses' perceptions toward stillbirths: Use of a grief care tool

Abstract

Purpose

Nurses must stay close to couples if a baby is stillborn, share their thoughts, provide nursing care for stillbirths, and provide continuous nursing care to grieving parents. The purpose of this study was to develop a prototype grief care tool through which nurses can record their experiences related to the events. It will help them clarify their feelings when dealing with couples experiencing a stillbirth and providing nursing care from pregnancy to the postpartum period.

Methods

This is a qualitative descriptive study. The participants were 13 nurses (midwives/nurses) who dealt with natural or induced stillbirths after 12 weeks of pregnancy. A prototype grief care tool provided the most unusual cases of stillbirth nursing, and data were obtained through semi-structured interviews about nurses' feelings when dealing with stillbirths. The obtained data were analyzed qualitatively and inductively.

Results

Nurses' feelings about stillbirth were collated into four categories. “Sense of mission toward stillbirth nursing” was about sincerity and the sense of responsibility as a caregiver toward couples who had experienced stillbirth. In contrast, “difficulties caring for a couple with a stillborn child” dealt with difficulties in understanding and talking about the couple's feelings and anxieties about the stillbirth. Further, “inquiring minds about stillbirth nursing” was about looking back at the nursing provided, searching for better stillbirth nursing for couples, and wanting to learn more about stillbirth nursing. “Expectations for team medical care” was about being involved with couples as a team and supporting each other.

Conclusion

Midwives and nurses involved in stillbirths felt both a sense of mission in stillbirth nursing and a sense of difficulty in dealing with the parents. In addition, they looked back on their experiences in stillbirth nursing and searched for better stillbirth nursing methods. The findings suggested that using the grief care tool prototyped in this study to record the nursing experience of stillbirth will help nurses to recollect their thoughts on the couple and the stillborn at each stage of nursing. It would provide an opportunity to reflect on the nursing provided and feelings experienced, leading to an inquiry into stillbirth nursing.