Presentation
Butterfly's Embrace: A Work Systems Analysis of a Hospital-Based Perinatal Bereavement Program
SessionPoster Session 2
DescriptionPerinatal death occurs in as many as 31% of pregnancies. Perinatal bereavement programs in obstetrical and emergency units can offer the potential of structured workflow and more supportive work environments for both patients and health care professionals. Perinatal staff report insufficient support from supervisors, insufficient support from coworkers, lack of autonomy, and lack of perinatal bereavement training and education, lack of exposure to organizational knowledge, and feeling unprepared to provide appropriate care as contributors to burnout. In this presentation, we identify how a unique perinatal bereavement program in a rural hospital in the Southeastern United States impacts the work system in the hospital that created it to understand how elements of the program contribute to enhancing staff and patient safety. The program utilizes an interdisciplinary staff to provide specialized bereavement care to any patient experiencing a pregnancy loss regardless of gestational age. This is an example of holistically attending to all social, technical and environmental considerations when addressing a risk to both patients and staff – it can be a guiding example for interventions targeting perinatal bereavement, as well as other stressful and emotional situations that patients, their families and health care workers encounter regularly.
Event Type
Poster
TimeWednesday, October 15th5:30pm - 6:30pm CDT
LocationRiverside East