Transforming student midwives 'lived' experience of caring for bereaved parents using high-fidelity simulation; an interpretative phenomenological analysis

Leyland, A

Abstract

The unexpected death of a baby to stillbirth is a tragic and traumatic event both for parents and caregivers. The period after stillbirth has profound emotional and psychological consequences for parents which can persist for 1000 days and beyond (Manifesto, 2014). Whilst nothing can alleviate the pain of a stillbirth, the quality of care that bereaved parents receive is crucial to their psychological well-being in the aftermath of the loss.
Student midwives frequently encounter bereaved parents as part of their experience in clinical practice. Yet many students report feeling unprepared and anxious when caring for them during this difficult time. Consequently, midwifery students often lack the necessary skills in communicating with bereaved parents and providing emotional support which can impact on the quality of care that parents receive.
This study presents an interpretative phenomenological study which aims to explore student midwives’ experiences of bereavement simulation. The use of simulation to teach student midwives about bereavement care is relatively unexplored in the literature. It warrants considerable attention given the concerns highlighted in a series of reports in recent years regarding bereaved parents’ experiences of maternity care following perinatal loss (Kirkup, 2015; Ockenden, 2020, 2022).
This study utilized a purposive sample of nine first- and second-year undergraduate midwifery students and used in-depth semi-structured interviews to explore the meaning of the experiential phenomena of bereavement simulation. Mezirow's Transformative Learning Theory was also applied as a framework to analyse the data.
Three key super-ordinate themes emerged from the data analysis. Firstly, ‘a rollercoaster of emotions’ captured the complexity of feelings and emotions that students experienced as they encountered the bereaved parents for the first time. Secondly, ‘trying to console and making things easier’ depicted the deep sense of powerlessness and the professional dilemmas experienced as the students struggled to emotionally console and communicate the helpful words to the grieving parents. Thirdly, ‘a unique learning experience’ conceptualised the students’ transformational journey as they critically reflected on significant aspects of their learning and identified the professional and personal insights that would enable them to provide effective care.
The findings of the study highlight the important role of simulation as a defined model of bereavement education that equips students with the necessary knowledge, skills, and values to provide safe and compassionate care to bereaved parents during this traumatic time.

Citation

Leyland, A. (in press). Transforming student midwives 'lived' experience of caring for bereaved parents using high-fidelity simulation; an interpretative phenomenological analysis. (Thesis). University of Salford

• Thesis Type: Thesis
• Acceptance Date: Nov 4, 2022
• Deposit Date: Dec 12, 2022
• Publicly Available Date: Dec 12, 2022