Perinatal death: bereavement interventions used by US and Spanish nurses and midwives

Background: Little research has been published from a global perspective regarding needs of nurses and midwives related to perinatal bereavement. Objective: To identify needs and concerns of US and Spanish nurses and midwives who have worked with perinatal death and to identify the bereavement interventions they use to help families with this experience. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted. Data were collected in 2011 from US (n=44) and Spanish (n=15) nurses and midwives via a questionnaire. Results: Statistically significant differences between the nurses/midwives in each country were found regarding needs relating to knowledge, communication skills and managing personal feelings. Interventions of accompanying, listening, offering keepsakes, baptism discussion, and funeral planning were also found to be significantly different between the two groups. Conclusions: These findings demonstrate a continued need to increase the standard and consistency of perinatal bereavement care worldwide. Bereavement education in nursing curricula and practice settings in both cultures is essential to increase the standard of care.