E03-a Pregnancy Subsequent to Stillbirth: Medical and Psychosocial Aspects of Care

Purpose:

Stillbirth has a pervasive impact on families and communities, including during subsequent pregnancies. Future reproductive choices, and management decisions made in subsequent pregnancies, are altered after a stillbirth occurs. Care in the subsequent pregnancy varies among providers, and evidence to guide such care is sparse. In December 2018, the Society of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists of Canada published a Clinical Practice Guideline, based on current literature and the consensus of clinicians and families with lived experience of stillbirth. This presentation will provide a synopsis of these evidence-based recommendations and consensus opinions of experts in the care of women undergoing a subsequent pregnancy. Screening, monitoring, birth considerations, and psychosocial care will be discussed, and recommendations will be highlighted.

Learning Objectives:

1. Identify the unique care needs of families experiencing a pregnancy subsequent to stillbirth.

2. Highlight current recommendations for the provision of skilled and compassionate care to families.

3. Discuss strategies for implementing care recommendations into routine nursing practice.

Presenter:

Megan Fockler, RN, MPH, Advanced Practice Nurse, Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre; Pregnancy and Infant Loss (PAIL) Network, Toronto, ON, Canada

E03-b Pregnancy and Infant Loss: A Survey of Families’ Experiences in Ontario, Canada

Purpose:

In response to an identified gap in knowledge about how families in Ontario experience existing pregnancy and infant loss health services and care, an online survey was conducted. People who had experienced a pregnancy or infant loss (pregnant person and their partner) were invited to share their experiences and to provide their thoughts on needed service improvements. This presentation will highlight the findings from the survey, as well as implications for promoting excellence in best practices in bereavement care.

Learning Objectives:

1. Understand the unique healthcare care needs of families experiencing pregnancy and infant loss by listening to their lived experience.

2. Identify family-indicated barriers and facilitators to compassionate and skilled bereavement care.

3. Discuss innovative strategies to incorporate the findings of this survey into your own bereavement practice.

Presenters:

Megan Fockler, RN, MPH, Advanced Practice Nurse, Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre; Pregnancy and Infant Loss (PAIL) Network, Toronto, ON, Canada

Jo Watson, PhD, RN (EC), Operations Director, DAN Women and Babies Program, Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, Toronto, ON, Canada