Assessment of Knowledge, Attitude and Factors Associated with Perinatal Bereavement Care among the Nurses in Madhya Pradesh, Central India

Abstract

Perinatal bereavement care encompasses holistic support and services offered by healthcare professionals, addressing physical, psychological, emotional, and spiritual needs of bereaved parents which are most often ignored in clinical settings. This hospital-based descriptive study aimed to assess knowledge, attitudes, and associated factors regarding perinatal bereavement care among nursing personnel in a tertiary care hospital in central India. A total of 207 nursing personnel selected through non-probability convenient sampling participated in the study. Data were collected using a structured questionnaire with a 5-point Likert scale and dichotomous scale. The study revealed that 78.3 percent of nursing personnel possessed average knowledge, while 73.4 percent exhibited a positive attitude towards perinatal bereavement care. Several influencing factors were identified, including personal perinatal grieving experiences, a history of other grieving experiences, existing hospital policies, regular training and Continuing Nursing Education, as well as traditional beliefs and values. Further, a positive correlation between the knowledge and attitude of nursing personnel regarding perinatal bereavement care came to light. Significant associations were observed between knowledge scores, attitudes, and demographic variables such as age, total work experience, years of experience in maternity wards, personal loss experiences, and past experience in handling grieving parents among nursing personnel. The study underscores the importance of perinatal bereavement care in providing support to grieving parents and emphasises the need for nursing personnel to possess both knowledge and a compassionate attitude in this regard. The study recommends the establishment of Standard Operating Procedures for Perinatal Bereavement Care within the hospital and the implementation of regular Continuing Nursing Education and training programmes to create a supportive environment.