Elsevier

Midwifery

Volume 111, August 2022, 103356
Midwifery

Stranger in a mask” midwives’ experiences of providing perinatal bereavement care to parents during the COVID-19 pandemic in Ireland: A qualitative descriptive study

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.midw.2022.103356Get rights and content

Abstract

Objective

To explore the experiences and perceptions of midwives providing perinatal bereavement care during the COVID-19 pandemic and to identify the barriers and facilitators to providing compassionate bereavement care.

Design

A qualitative descriptive design was utilized to address the research question. Following ethical approval, in depth, semi structured interviews were undertaken to explore midwives’ experiences of providing care to parents following perinatal bereavement. Narrative data was analyzed using thematic analysis.

Setting

A standalone regional maternity hospital located in a large metropolitan center in the Republic of Ireland.

Participants

A purposeful sample of eleven midwives, who cared for bereaved parents during the COVID-19 pandemic volunteered to participate in the study.

Findings

Two main themes were identified, each with associated subthemes (1) Challenges of providing compassionate bereavement care during a pandemic (2) Psychological effect and coping strategies utilised by midwives during a pandemic.

Conclusion

The COVID-19 pandemic brought unprecedented challenges when providing perinatal bereavement care. The mandatory infection prevention and control measures significantly disrupted human communication and connections. Participants in the study utilized techniques to optimize care while adhering to COVID-19 guidelines, and simultaneously putting their own fear and anxieties aside.

Keywords

Midwives’ experiences
Perinatal bereavement care
Qualitative descriptive study
COVID-19 pandemic
Communication

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