Healthcare professionals experiences of grief and loss after neonatal death
What was this project about?
Healthcare professionals experiences of grief and loss following neonatal death
Healthcare professionals experiencing loss and grief in response to neonatal death is a subject largely overlooked within healthcare systems and research. Neonatal intensive care unit healthcare professionals regularly contend with neonatal death and this often involves strong emotional involvement as they aim to provide high quality bereavement care to bereaved parents and families.
The aim of this project was to improve supports available for staff experiencing grief and loss by exploring the experiences of neonatal intensive care nurses and consultant neonatologists providing end of life care and perinatal bereavement care.
This project was undertaken as part of the , a collaborative programme between the and the .
What was involved?
- Qualitative interviews with healthcare professionals, including neonatal nurses and consultant neonatologists.
Who was involved?
Project team
| Name | Affiliation | Role |
|---|---|---|
| Julianna Crowley | Cork ÉîÒ¹ÑÇÖÞ¸£Àû¾Ã¾Ã Hospital and Cork ÉîÒ¹ÑÇÖÞ¸£Àû¾Ã¾Ã Maternity Hospital; Pregnancy Loss Research Group | MSc Student |
| Pregnancy Loss Research Group | Supervisor | |
| Dr Mary McAteer | RCSI/Irish Hospice Foundation; (Collaborative Action Research Network); ÉîÒ¹ÑÇÖÞ¸£Àû¾Ã¾Ã of Galway | Supervisor |
Dissemination activities
Journal articles
- Forthcoming.
Thesis
- Crowley J. Improving the support available for healthcare professionals experiencing professional loss and grief in response to neonatal death within the context of a neonatal intensive care unit in a tertiary maternity hospital. [MSc Loss and Bereavement dissertation]. Dublin: Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland (RCSI); 2024.
Project status
Completed: October 2022 to December 2023
Further information
Please email:
- Julianna Crowley: julianna.crowley@hse.ie
- Professor Keelin O’Donoghue: k.odonoghue@ucc.ie