Implications for the nurse
Providing emotional support for women and their partners during this difficult time can have an effect on the nurse (McQueen 1997a, 1997b, 2000). Pearce and Easton (2005) acknowledged that providing good psychological care for women experiencing loss of pregnancy can be emotionally challenging and that staff need ‘explicit and robust’ support to avoid distress and ‘burnout’. The effect of emotional work on nurses is recognised in the literature (Smith 1992, McQueen 1997a, 1997b, Bolton 2000, Hunter 2005, Mann and Cowburn 2005). Nurses are required to manage their feelings in their interactions with patients to provide empathetic care, which can be challenging (McQueen 1997b). A qualitative study by Roehrs et al(2008) found that providing perinatal bereavement care was difficult for nurses. Coping strategies included talking to nursing peers and spending time with their own family members. Roehrs et al (2008) also identified the value of debriefing sessions for staff as well as interpersonal skills and grief training.