Talking to pregnant women about stillbirth: Evaluating the effectiveness of an information workshop for midwives using pre and post intervention surveys.
OBJECTIVE
The project aimed to establish the level of knowledge a group of midwives had about risk factors for stillbirth and identify their current willingness to raise and discuss stillbirth with pregnant women during standard antenatal care.


METHODS
Surveys were administered pre and post an education intervention. The intervention consisted of a half day education workshop. A change in knowledge pre and post intervention was measured as a means to determine the effectiveness of the workshop.


METHODS
The workshop first provided participants with up-to-date information about modifiable and preventative risk factors for stillbirth and then provided them with the opportunity to practice a range of strategies to assist them to becoming confident in raising and discussing the topic of stillbirth.


METHODS
Three workshops were offered and a total of 109 qualified midwives attended.


METHODS
In order to explore the level of knowledge increase and retention of knowledge about stillbirth as well as participants willingness to discuss stillbirth with pregnant women, comparisons were made between the pre workshop survey responses and those given to the two follow-up surveys immediately following and 3 months after the workshop.


RESULTS
There was a statistically significant improvement in knowledge about stillbirth as well as in participant willingness to engage the pregnant women in their care in a conversation about stillbirth.


CONCLUSIONS
Providing a workshop on stillbirth for registered midwives is quite effective in raising their awareness about stillbirth. However, before substantial changes can be made in stillbirth awareness, ways and means to sensitively promote public awareness of stillbirth need to be explored and anxieties and taboos addressed. Research could explore whether or not a stillbirth awareness message actually does make women anxious, and if so the nature of this anxiety and how this anxiety might best be ameliorated.
University of South Australia, School of Nursing and Midwifery, City East Campus, Centenary Building, North Terrace, Adelaide, SA 5000, Australia. Electronic address: jane.warland@unisa.edu.au.
Jane
J
Warland
The Flinders University Adelaide, School of Nursing and Midwifery, GPO Box 2100, Adelaide, SA 5001, Australia. Electronic address: Pauline.glover@flinders.edu.au.
Pauline
P
Glover
D000328:Adult; D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D004506:Education, Nursing; D004521:Educational Measurement; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D008880:Midwifery / Q000193:education*; D011247:Pregnancy; D011295:Prenatal Care / Q000379:methods; D050497:Stillbirth / Q000523:psychology; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D055815:Young Adult
Intervention study; Staff attitudes; Stillbirth awareness; Stillbirth education