1. Objectifs

Intentions :
This article aims to «understand professional care for maternal grief in the puerperium of stillbirth.» (p. 2)

Questions/Hypothèses :
The article seeks «to answer the following questions: is the appropriate puerperal care in cases of fetal death the same between different countries? Is the role of health professionals in support to cope with grief for mothers who have had a fetal death different according to each country?» (p. 2)

2. Méthode

Échantillon/Matériau :
For this study, «[t]he census of Brazilian women (n= 30) who had a fetal death in 2013 in Maringa (PR), Brazil, registered in the Mortality Information System database until February 2014 and all Canadians (n = 18) who had a fetal death from 2010 to 2014, assisted at Center d’Études et de Recherche en Intervention Familiale (CERIF) at the University of Quebec in Outaouais, Gatineau (QC), Canada were selected.» (p. 3)

Instruments :
Guide d’entretien semi-directif

Type de traitement des données :
Analyse de contenu

3. Résumé

Results show that «[a]dequate puerperal care in cases of fetal death is not the same in different countries, mainly in support for the prevention of complicated grief. In Canada, hospital professionals explain what happened, dialogue and welcome women comprehensively and free of stigma and prejudice. Although outpatient care in primary care does not give the expected care in all cases, there are professional support groups for continuous care without a time limit for the time of loss. In Brazil, there are few cases with adequate puerperal care, regardless of the complexity of assistance. The limited care for maternal grief of lifeless births in Brazil reflects the impediment of actions carried out in Canada and provided for in literature of contact and memories of the fetus for support in coping with overcoming grief. […] Regarding the experiences of health professionals with groups of parents who had a fetal loss in Canada, successes are reported in their actions in contributing to the construction of a culture of support, affection, and respect for parents’ grieving. Allowing bereaved parents to share their stories in public makes it possible to elucidate what can be done to prevent other families from experiencing the same suffering, and perhaps to help prevent the unnecessary death of another child.» (p. 5-6)