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Cited by 61Grief, Bereavement, and Mental HealthMaternal and Perinatal Health InterventionsReproductive Health and Contraception

Australian heterosexual women’s experiences of healthcare provision following a pregnancy loss

Due, Clemence, Obst, Kate, Riggs, Damien W., Collins, Catherine·2018·Women and Birth
DOI 10.1016/j.wombi.2017.11.002
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Abstract

Background Despite increased awareness of the psychological impact of pregnancy loss, a lack of recognition continues with regards to women's experiences. Healthcare professionals have an important role to play in supporting women following a pregnancy loss, yet to date only a relatively small body of research has examined women's experiences with healthcare providers.Aim This paper seeks to contribute to the literature on women's engagement with healthcare professionals by exploring the experiences of an Australian sample.Method Fifteen heterosexual women living in South Australia were interviewed about their experiences of pregnancy loss. A thematic analysis was undertaken, focused on responses to one interview question that explored experiences with healthcare professionals.Findings Three themes were identified. The first theme involved negative experiences with healthcare providers, and included four subthemes: (1) 'confusing and inappropriate language and communication', (2) 'the hospital environment', (3) 'lack of emotional care', and (4) 'lack of follow-up care'. Under the second theme of positive experiences, the sub-themes of (1) 'emotionally-engaged and present individual staff', and (2) 'the healthcare system as a whole' were identified. Finally, a third theme was identified, which focused holistically on the importance of healthcare professionals.Conclusion The paper concludes by discussing the importance of training for healthcare professionals in supporting women who experience a pregnancy loss, and the need for further research to explore the experiences of other groups of people affected by pregnancy loss.

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  • Social support and healthcare experiences have been linked to immediate grief and long-term psychological health for women.

    “Finally, social support and experiences with the healthcare system have been linked to both immediate grief and long-term psychological health for women [1, 110–113].”

    From Men’s grief following pregnancy loss and neonatal loss: a systematic review and emerging theoretical model (2020) · cites this paper as [112]

  • Women's experiences with healthcare services revealed coexistence of contrasting care practices: some reported abandonment, others experienced compassion and sensitivity, which positively influenced their grieving process and perception of quality of care.

    “Women’s experiences with healthcare services after perinatal bereavements revealed the coexistence of contrasting care practices: while some reported abandonment, others experienced moments of compassion and sensitivity from professionals, which positively influenced their grieving process and their perception of the quality of care received.”

    From Experiences and long-term repercussions of perinatal grief in women after perinatal bereavement: a meta-ethnography (2025) · cites this paper as [44]

  • Reports acknowledging institutional support and empathetic care were more frequent in specialized care settings.

    “Reports acknowledging institutional support and empathetic care were more frequent in specialized care settings, such as private hospitals or emotional support services”

    From Experiences and long-term repercussions of perinatal grief in women after perinatal bereavement: a meta-ethnography (2025) · cites this paper as [44]

  • Holistic care addressing both physical and emotional needs was valued as good care practice.

    “Cases in which care was delivered holistically, addressing both physical and emotional needs, were valued by women as examples of good care practices”

    From Experiences and long-term repercussions of perinatal grief in women after perinatal bereavement: a meta-ethnography (2025) · cites this paper as [44]

  • Current provision of perinatal bereavement care education for healthcare professionals is not meeting their needs for clinical practice.

    “The findings of the studies suggest that the current provision of perinatal bereavement care education for healthcare professionals is currently not meeting their needs for clinical practice (Agwu Kalu et al., 2018; Due et al., 2018).”

    From Integrative Review of Emotional Care Following Perinatal Loss (2021) · cites this paper as Due et al., 2018

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Authors
Due, C., Obst, K., Riggs, D. W., & Collins, C.
Affiliations
  • The University of Adelaide (AU)
  • Flinders University (AU)
Corresponding author
Due, Clemence
ORCID
Venue
Women and Birth
Publisher
Elsevier BV
Published
2018-08
Volume
31
Issue
4
Pages
331-338
ISSN
1871-5192 (ISSN-L)
DOI
10.1016/j.wombi.2017.11.002
OpenAlex
W2769261992
Cited by
61
References
35
Citations by year
2026: 4 · 2025: 7 · 2024: 7 · 2023: 24 · 2022: 3 · 2021: 2 · 2020: 10 · 2019: 3 · 2018: 1
FWCI
4.74
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
closed
Licence
www.elsevier.com/tdm/userlicense/1.0/ (tdm)
Locations
  • Women and Birth (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • Adelaide Research & Scholarship (AR&S) (University of Adelaide) (submittedVersion)
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Grief, Bereavement, and Mental Health
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Obstetrics and Gynecology › Maternal and Perinatal Health Interventions
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health › Reproductive Health and Contraception
Keywords
miscarriage, stillbirth, provider communication, emotional care, follow-up care, hospital environment, health professions education, bereavement support, South Australia
MeSH terms
Abortion, Spontaneous, Adult, Attitude of Health Personnel, Australia, Communication, Delivery of Health Care, Empathy, Female, Health Personnel, Hospitals, Humans, Maternal Health Services, Pregnancy, South Australia, Heterosexuality, Qualitative Research, Stillbirth

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