Evidence-Based Neonatal Bereavement Care

Neonatal intensive care encompasses not only the care of the acutely ill infant but also bereavement care for the parents and their families. Until now, bereavement care has been an intuitive response to a perceived need mainly based on Western cultural influences. Neonatal bereavement care encompasses the care given to infants and their parents from the time withdrawal of life support is considered until the parents have worked through their grief after the infant's death. This article explores research studies done in the past 10 years on neonatal bereavement care around the world. Only articles written in English were considered. Evidence-based care is supported by qualitative, descriptive studies of parents', physicians', and nurses' perceptions. The literature emphasizes the importance of communication, compassion, and trusting relationships, along with a good understanding of grief and bereavement issues. Follow-up care after the death is very important. Grief for multiple-birth losses is particularly complex. Little attention is given in the literature to the suitability of Euro-American bereavement practices for ethnic populations. More research is needed on the many aspects of neonatal bereavement care.