title: Support for mothers, fathers and families after perinatal death.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Provision of an empathetic, sensitive, caring environment and strategies to support mothers, fathers and their families experiencing perinatal death are now an accepted part of maternity services in many countries. Interventions such as psychological support or counselling, or both, have been suggested to improve outcomes for parents and families after perinatal death.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To assess the effect of any form of intervention (i.e. medical, nursing, midwifery, social work, psychology, counselling or community-based) on parents and families who experience perinatal death.
  
  
  METHODS
  We searched the Cochrane Pregnancy and Childbirth Group's Trials Register (28 January 2013) and article bibliographies.
  
  
  METHODS
  Randomised trials of any form of support aimed at encouraging acceptance of loss, bereavement counselling, or specialised psychotherapy or counselling for mothers, fathers and families experiencing perinatal death.
  
  
  METHODS
  Two review authors independently assessed eligibility of trials.
  
  
  RESULTS
  No trials were included.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Primary healthcare interventions and a strong family and social support network are invaluable to parents and families around the time a baby dies. However, due to the lack of high-quality randomised trials conducted in this area, the true benefits of currently existing interventions aimed at providing support for mothers, fathers and families experiencing perinatal death is unclear. Further, the currently available evidence around the potential detrimental effects of some interventions (e.g. seeing and holding a deceased baby) remains inconclusive at this point in time. However, some well-designed descriptive studies have shown that, under the right circumstances and guided by compassionate, sensitive, experienced staff, parents' experiences of seeing and holding their deceased baby is often very positive. The sensitive nature of this topic and small sample sizes, make it difficult to develop rigorous clinical trials. Hence, other research designs may further inform practice in this area. Where justified, methodologically rigorous trials are needed. However, methodologically rigorous trials should be considered comparing different approaches to support.
authors.affiliation: MaterMedical Research Institute,MaterHealth Services,Woolloongabba, Australia. lauskoopmans@hotmail.com
authors.forename: Laura
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Koopmans
authors.forename: Trish
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Wilson
authors.forename: Joanne
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Cacciatore
authors.forename: Vicki
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Flenady
mesh_terms: D001601:Bereavement; D003376:Counseling; D003643:Death; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008016:Life Change Events; D009679:Nuclear Family; D012944:Social Support