Coping Strategies of Norwegian Healthcare Professionals Facing Perinatal Death—A Qualitative Study

Abstract

AIMPerinatal death is often regarded as a critical incident for the healthcare personnel involved. How healthcare personnel respond to traumatic events in their work is a function of their level of awareness or exposure to the incident, as well as their genuine expectations, support, and trust. The aim of this study was to explore coping strategies of Norwegian healthcare professionals including midwifes, obstetricians, and assistant nurses when faced with perinatal death in a clinical setting.METHODMidwives, obstetricians, and assistant nurses in two public hospitals in Norway participated in an in-depth and semi-structured interview. The data was analyzed using Kvale's approach, which involves condensing and thematic analysis.FINDINGSThe results are divided into three categories with eight subcategories. Having the support of one's colleagues was described as an important factor for coping with these situations. Both immediate support in the situation and talking about their feelings later with colleagues were found to be important. Discussing and sharing responsibility were also mentioned.CONCLUSIONInformants in this study stated that talking with one another about the challenges they faced in these situations was important. Appropriate education and training programs, together with healthy coping and debriefing strategies must be implemented in maternity units.