Student midwives' lived experiences of caring for bereaved parents following perinatal loss using actor-based simulation: A phenomenological study

Abstract

Background: Student midwives frequently encounter bereaved parents in clinical practice; however, the experience of caring for bereaved parents can be a significant source of traumatic stress. Although the use of simulation to teach bereavement care is considered a powerful experiential form of learning, evidence for its effectiveness as a transformative learning strategy is limited.

Aim: To explore student midwives' lived experience of caring for bereaved parents experiencing perinatal loss using high-fidelity simulation.

Design: Students midwives participated in an actor-based bereavement simulated scenario. Data was collected using semi-structured interviews. Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis was conducted to gain a deep understanding of the meaning of the experience. Mezirow's Transformative Learning Theory was applied as an analytical framework to illustrate how the student midwives made sense of and learned from the experience of caring for bereaved parents experiencing perinatal loss.

Setting: One BSc (Hons), 156-week undergraduate midwifery programme within a university in the Northwest of England.

Participants: A purposeful sample of nine first-and second-year student midwives volunteered to participate in the study.

Findings: One of the superordinate themes that emerged from the analysis (1) 'trying to console and making things easier' and the related subthemes (1a)'what words can I say', (1b)'my instinct was to console the mum', (1c)'left to sort of pick up the pieces' captured the deep sense of powerlessness and the professional dilemmas experienced as students struggled to emotionally console and communicate the right words to say to the grieving parents.

Conclusion: The study highlights the vital role of simulation as a defined model of bereavement education that equips students with the necessary knowledge, skills, and confidence to provide compassionate care to bereaved parents experiencing perinatal loss.

Implications for practice: The emotional toll of caring for bereaved parents is significant, and higher education institutions should adopt experiential forms of learning using actor-based simulation scenarios to emotionally prepare students to care holistically for parents affected by perinatal loss.

Keywords: Bereavement care; Midwifery students; Perinatal loss; Simulation; Transformative learning theory.