Parents’, families’, communities’ and healthcare professionals’
experiences of care following neonatal death in healthcare facilities in
LMIC’s: a systematic review and meta-ethnography
Abstract
Background 98% of neonatal deaths worldwide occur in low- and
middle-income countries (LMICs), yet there is little bereavement care
guidance available for these settings. Objectives To explore
parents’, families’ and healthcare professionals’ experiences of care
after neonatal death in healthcare facilities in LMICs. Search
Strategy and Selection Criteria Four databases were searched for
peer-reviewed literature meeting the inclusion criteria of qualitative
studies exploring the experiences of people who provided or received
bereavement care following neonatal death in a LMIC healthcare setting.
Data Collection and Analysis Data were collected by two
independent reviewers, collated through line-by-line coding then
reciprocal and refutational translation, and analysed through Noblit and
Hare’s seven-step meta-ethnography approach to create first, second and
third order themes. Main Results Seven first order themes
extracted from the literature included emotional responses, social
relationships, staff and systems, religion, connecting with the baby,
coping strategies, and economic concerns. From these data, three third
order themes arose; the individual, the healthcare setting, and the
community/ context. Conclusions Over-arching themes in
bereavement care shape grief responses and are often similar across
geographical locations. Analysing these similarities allows a deeper
understanding of the important elements of bereavement care and may be
helpful to inform the creation of high quality, bereavement care
guidelines suitable for use in LMIC settings.