Nurses’ attitudes towards perinatal bereavement care

Abstract

Objective To investigate the attitude of nurses and midwives towards perinatal bereavement care in obstetric wards. Methods A total of 323 obstetric nurses and midwives were investigated by using a structured questionnaire. Results The scores of participants’ attitudes towards perinatal bereavement care, the policy of bereavement care and the bereavement care training were 4.26±3.14,4.29±1.98 and 4.21±3.79 respectively. And there was a significantly positive relation among the three scores (P<0.01 for all). Participants’position had significant influence on their attitude towards the perinatal bereavement care (P<0.05), while the past experience in handling grieving parents had significant influence on their attitude towards the bereavement care policy and bereavement care training (P<0.05,P<0.01). Conclusion The obstetric nurses and midwives have a positive attitudes towards perinatal bereavement care, but their attitude are influenced by many factors. Bereavement care training and emotional support should be provided to nurses.