Pregnancy and Infant Loss Remembrance Day is observed worldwide on 15 October to remember any kind of pregnancy loss or neonatal death. It’s a time for bereaved parents and their friends and family to acknowledge and honour the death of their child.
The death of a baby is a devastating event for both the families and the professionals looking after them. For clinicians, the way you respond to a pregnancy loss or neonatal death can have long-term ramifications for families and clinical practice. Kirstine Sketcher-Baker, Acting Deputy Director-General Clinical Excellence Queensland, said it was important to remember that for most parents, this would be their first experience with pregnancy or infant loss.
“The way you communicate in that moment and your compassion can have a huge impact on the psychological welfare of parents. Consumers have told us they need to feel seen and heard and for their baby to be named and treated with respect and care,” she said.
“Ask yourself: ‘How do I want these parents to remember me?’”
Ms Sketcher-Baker said it was paramount to explain sensitively and accurately what happens after a pregnancy loss or the death of an infant, including whether an autopsy can be performed. While autopsy is one of the most important investigations in determining the cause of a perinatal death, typically less than half of all perinatal deaths are investigated with autopsy in Australia. “The data and research required to prevent stillbirths and other perinatal deaths hinges on a compassionate conversation between maternity care providers and bereaved parents about the value of an autopsy,” she said.
“If we adequately investigate perinatal deaths, we can reduce the proportion of deaths that are classified as unexplained from approximately 33 per cent to 13 per cent. Being able to explain a perinatal death has a huge impact on the grief of bereaved parents and potentially their decision to have another baby.”
Ms Sketcher-Baker said globally, The Netherlands and New Zealand were reducing rates of preventable stillbirth faster than any other high-income country. “If Australia matched that of the best high-income countries in reducing preventable stillbirths, more than 200 stillbirths after 28 weeks could be prevented each year,” she said.
Health professionals can help prevent future perinatal deaths and better support bereaved parents by completing the Improving Perinatal Mortality Review and Outcomes via Education (IMPROVE) program. The IMPROVE program has been developed for maternity health care professionals to improve standards in clinical practice around the time of a perinatal death and is based on the Australia and New Zealand Clinical Practice Guideline for Care Around Stillbirth and Neonatal Death, which was developed by Perinatal Society of Australia and New Zealand and the Stillbirth Centre for Research Excellence.
The online training package consists of six courses designed to support healthcare professionals in responding to women and families who have experienced stillbirth, conduct perinatal autopsy and mortality reviews, and communicate with bereaved parents. Interactive, skills-based face-to-face workshop are also available, which involve small groups of learners rotating around six interactive learning stations all delivered by experienced and trained educators.
“The IMPROVE training program is not just another ‘box to tick’ when it comes to your education or professional development - it has the potential to change the lives of families who experience the death of a baby,” Ms Sketcher-Baker said.
To complete the training or to find out more, visit the Stillbirth CRE website. To find out more about Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness Month, visit the SANDS website.
