Training needs of primary health care professionals on perinatal grief

Alba Martinez Satorres, Anna Escalé Besa, Lorena Díez García, Carolina Allegra Wagner, Marta Llagostera Estruch, Nuria Turmo Tristan, Marta Arcarons Martí, Francisco Javier Fernandez Segura, Zulema Martí I Oltra, Pablo Pires Núñez, Ana Escribano Sanz

Keywords: Medical training; Continuing education; Primary care; Stillbirth; Disenfranchised grief.

Background:

It is estimated that 10-25% of pregnancies end in abortion, a common complication of early pregnancy. The approach to perinatal grief (PNG) is still a taboo in our society and creates discomfort and insecurity among primary health care (PHC) professionals, who are ill-prepared to deal with it. Knowing the experiences, opinions and training needs of professionals is essential to enhance training interventions.

Research questions:

Which are the training needs regarding perinatal bereavement among PHC professionals in Catalonia?

Method:

Cross-sectional observational study of online survey type (51 questions self-completed and anonymous survey), aimed at PHC in Catalonia, during March-May 2022.
Variables analyzed: demographic variables, knowledge on risk factors for gestational losses, characteristics and approach to perinatal grief, community resources and perceived training needs.

Results:

Results from 525 professionals were analyzed (250 GP, 119 nurses). Of which 85.6% were women. 91.6% of those surveyed had not received any training.
We detected a gap in knowledge about how to deal with this grief, risk factors and the resources to address it.
Of the professionals surveyed, 85.2% responded that as a PHC professional they did not have sufficient training on perinatal grief and 80.9% that they would be interested (148/488) or very interested (247/488) in receiving it. A total of 54.8% preferred face-to-face training, compared to 42% who preferred online or 3% mixed.

Conclusions:

PHC professionals do not have sufficient training on perinatal bereavement. However more than 80% of professionals answered that they would be interested or very interested in receiving it.
Perinatal grief continuous training is needed without big differences between classroom or online teaching preferences.
PNG training needs of the target population will be considered when designing and developing interventions, activities or a combination of elements designed to improve the perinatal grief follow-up management in PHC.

Points for discussion:

There is a lack of knowledge about about how to deal with perinatal grief, risk factors and the resources to address it.

There is a high interest of primary care professionals in receiving perinatal grief approach training

It is necessary to design and develope interventions, activities or a combination of elements designed to improve the perinatal grief follow-up management in Primary Care.