Speaker: Keeth Mayakaduwage and Billie Bradford
Facilitator: Farah Sajidah
Background: Stillbirth bereavement care is increasingly recognised as essential. Despite guidelines for stillbirth care, gaps remain in bereaved parents experiences of compassionate care. Inadequate education in healthcare curricula may contribute to negative experiences for both families and providers. This survey assesses whether and how healthcare curricula prepare midwives to care for families experiencing stillbirth.
Methods: An international cross-sectional survey, co-designed with subject matter experts, explored midwifery students and recent graduates experiences. Outcomes included educational content and confidence in knowledge of bereavement care, measured from 1.0 (Not confident at all) to 5.0 (Extremely confident). Quantitative and qualitative analyses were performed.
Results: Of 127 responses from 14 countries, 87% reported receiving some level of stillbirth education. While 92% had received teaching on stillbirth definitions, only 50% had bereavement care training, and just 43% received education on investigations for stillbirth causes. Confidence was highest for defining stillbirth (4.0) but lower for bereavement care (2.6) and investigations (2.6). Only 42% felt prepared to support families, with 86% expressing a need for more clinical experience and 50% wanting more support in accessing psychological services for themselves. Qualitative analysis revealed four themes, including gaps in structured education, disconnect between theoretical and practical knowledge, workplace support deficits, and system-level barriers to holistic care.
Conclusions: Significant gaps exist in midwifery bereavement education. Strengthening curricula with structured training, greater clinical exposure, and workplace support may help in improving care and reducing provider distress. Urgent action is needed to equip midwives with the skills and confidence to support bereaved families.
