While in the ED, the treatment group received a
1-hour bereavement intervention based on Guidelines
for Medical Professionals Providing Care to
the Family Experiencing Perinatal Loss, Neonatal
Death, SIDS or other Infant Death (Bereavement
Support Work Team of the National SIDS and
Infant Death Program Center, 2002). A specific
protocol was developed from these guidelines
and reinforced during the follow-up telephone
call. The protocol provided (a) early identification
and labeling of the participant’s room and chart for
acknowledgement of the loss; (b) offer of chaplain
services or notification of the woman’s personal
spiritual leader; (c) honor of any special request
such as baptism, special ceremony, or prayer;
(d) a packet of flower seeds of remembrance to
be planted at home; (e) a soft plush care bear; (f)
other physical mementos, if applicable; (g) participation
in a naming ceremony; and (h) completion
of a self-addressed sympathy card. Routine discharge
orders with instructions to return to the ED
with complaints of fever, pain, and/or excessive
bleeding and a return appointment time were
then provided. A 15-minute telephone call 1 week
later was used to reinforce the information from
the bereavement intervention, validated the loss,
and encouraged women to seek support.